Beef exports data for September took another downturn in September 2025, according to data released by the USDA. As expected, beef exports took another hit in September, with total beef exports dropping to the lowest level in five years.

Negotiations on U.S.-China trade relations have taken a step forward by ending China’s retaliatory tariffs imposed on U.S. exports since March of 2025, reopening Chinese markets to U.S. ag products including beef and soybeans.

U.S. beef exports have faced considerable headwinds in 2025, largely in the form of high tariff rates and the ensuing trade policy fallout in key markets for U.S. beef, especially in China.

President Donald Trump announced July 24 that U.S. and Japanese trade authorities have reached a trade agreement that lowers tariffs imposed on Japan and brings investment funds in to support U.S. infrastructure.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced in early February that the U.S. is resuming cattle and bison imports from Mexico.

U.S. beef export values reached $902.4 million in May, 3% higher than last year and the highest point since June 2023, according to USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Beef exports in May, while trending below last year’s record levels, have, in many international markets, reached the highest levels so far in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

In addition to setting a global value record with one month to spare, U.S. beef exports also set annual value records in several individual markets.