Twenty-one representatives of the beef, pork, corn and soy sectors traveled to Japan last week to see firsthand the promotion of U.S. red meat in the market by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). The delegation, known as the USMEF Heartland Team, received market briefings from U.S. Embassy and USMEF staff, spoke with students at a culinary school, viewed U.S. product displays in retail outlets, visited a beef tongue processing facility, a wagyu farm and witnessed a beef carcass auction at the Tokyo Meat Market. Japan is a key market for exports of variety meats, especially beef tongue, a highlight noted by cattle producer Mark Goes, who was on the trip representing the Nebraska Beef Council. Jesse Heimer, a National Pork Board member from Missouri notes the demand for quality over price in the Japanese market, which sets the standard for pork production in the United States. And according to USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom, that demand for quality makes it important for U.S. producers to travel to Japan to tell consumers and importers their story. Japan is the leading export market for U.S. beef by volume, totaling 149,051 metric tons through July of this year at a value of $1.2 billion. It is the number three market for U.S. pork exports at 208,121 metric tons with a value of $846 million through July. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/09/usmef-heartland-2024-091624.mp3