Worldwide, beef trade this year has been impressive. For April, the U.S. and Australia led the way regarding gains in tonnage of beef sold compared to a year ago. In terms of value, the U.S. remained the top exporter of beef and variety meats, and posted a 20 percent dollar-value increase compared to a year earlier. Foreign markets for beef industry products continue to grow, especially in Asia.

The status of cattle inventories in the U.S. is unknown at this time. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service cancelled the mid-year report, so there are no official July 1 survey-based estimates of cattle inventories by class, 2013 calf crop or total cattle on feed available.