Dan Halstrom, USMEF senior vice president for marketing and communications, spoke Thursday at the mid-year meeting of the Nebraska Cattlemen, held in Gothenburg, Nebraska. Nebraska Cattlemen recently became a member of USMEF.

“USMEF is extremely grateful to have Nebraska Cattlemen as a new member,” Halstrom said. “We receive outstanding support from Nebraska across all agricultural sectors.”

Halstrom provided producers with an update on U.S. beef exports through the first four months of this year, noting that despite tight beef supplies and high cutout prices, international demand for U.S. beef continues to grow.

In addition to its strong performance in established markets such as Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, Halstrom explained that emerging markets also hold great opportunities for U.S. beef. He noted that USMEF is preparing for its fourth annual Latin American Showcase, which is set for July 16-17 in Lima, Peru, and is working on a new initiative to identify export opportunities in West Africa.