Livestock and grain producers recently traveled with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) to Monterrey, Mexico, to look at market conditions and participate in the Expo Carnes trade show. The group also visited retail outlets featuring U.S. beef, pork and lamb, ranging from traditional markets to Costco, as well as high-end grocery stores and butcher shops.
David Hardin, a corn, soybean and pork producer from Indiana, sees the potential growth in volume, but also for higher grade products in the market.
“Obviously, if we can move the higher end products here, that’s going to put more dollars back in the pockets of the growers on the other end of the chain,” Hardin says. “We’ve had very good discussions with processors that buy our Indiana animals and are moving product into the Mexican market. While they are just as concerned about the impact of tariffs and how that is going to impact the market, we feel that there’s still enough demand for good American pork and beef here in Mexico, that hopefully we’re going to be able to get things sorted out.”