Exports to China, Japan bolster US pork industry

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

NEW CARLISLE, Ohio (AP) — Greg Kaffenbarger found himself increasingly and heavily dependent on sales to Japan, China and Mexico as he watched his annual herd of hogs grow to 6,500 over the years.

Like many U.S. hog farmers, Kaffenbarger has benefited from a steady increase of pork exports that's given new life to an industry that produces more pork than Americans can eat. Nearly a quarter of the pork produced in the U.S. goes abroad, up from only 3 percent in 1990. Last year, farmers shipped a record 2 million metric tons of pork valued at nearly $4.9 billion.

"If you take exports out, it's disastrous," Kaffenbarger said from the den of his farmhouse near New Carlisle in western Ohio. "We'd be out of business."

Other U.S. livestock producers are also enjoying recent export success. The export value of U.S. poultry, table eggs and processed egg products set a record last year, with a 25 percent improvement over 2007. And the volume of lamb and mutton muscle-cut exports was up 28 percent in 2008, also a record.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iijNueQyrccdrrL4Fai2rCWamAtAD973JV3O0

[harmonicon]

1. does anyone else find this to be incredibly weird?

I'm glad that US farmers are finding markets, but think that importing and exporting meat is incredibly creepy. I don't want to eat meat that comes from thousands of miles away. 50 miles, maybe.

[Veruca Salt]

2. I do too; I find myself shopping at the public market more often but

i've been getting the 'organic' free-range chicken since I first saw it in the grocery. I don't recall seeing that for pork or beef but am going to check next time I go. I'd much rather that than the kind stuffed with hormones.

[damntexdem]

4. No, it's not weird at all. Meat has long been a big export -- not just from the U.S.

In fact, the U.S. has long imported much meat.

What is newer, and unnecessary, as well as disgusting and environmentally devastating, is the factory farming of meat.

[harmonicon]

5. I know that it's been going on for a long time, but I still think it's strange

1/2 of my family are dairy farmers, and when I was a kid, meat came from the farm. My grandparents would have a few cows butchered for beef, and there was a trading relationship with the butcher where they'd trade X amount of their beef for X amount of someone else's pork sausage, etc.

With the exception of something like avocados and bananas that won't grow where I live, I don't see why food would have to move more than a few miles from where it is produced to where it is consumed.

I agree that factory farming is despicable, and if real local commerce were encouraged, I think we'd see a decrease in it.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. I can't speak for China, but here in Japan

there just isn't enough land to support too many hog farms, which can be quite a nuisance given the odor and effluent that they generate. And there's not a heck of a lot of pastureland outside of Hokkaido, either, so the beef cattle that are raised on Japanese beef farms are generally the expensive varieties such as Kobe-gyu (Kobe beef), Matsuzaka-gyu, Ohmi-gyu, or another of the lesser known but nonetheless expensive local varieties. The cheap stuff used in the "Gyudon" and family steak restaurants is almost all imported, mostly from Australia and the US, and some from Argentina as well.

[harmonicon]

8. Does Japan have labeling laws?

I think a lot of people would rather purchase the local goods if they were given the information to make an educated choice. Here in England, I will always buy something produced in my county over something from another part of the country if it's labeled so. I think it makes good economic and social sense to do so.

I also don't see why all food should be available in all places. I don't know that there is a problem with someone from Nebraska having a hard time getting fresh fish and seaweed, or with someone in Japan having a hard time coming by some beef and corn.

[Art_from_Ark]

9. The beef that is sold in stores is labelled

If it's produced in Japan, it's labelled "Kokusan". American beef is labelled "Beikokusan" or "Amerikasan". The beef sold through co-ops is mostly local (and consequently, more expensive).

Interestingly enough, there doesn't seem to be the same kind of labelling with chicken. Japanese-raised chicken is still labelled "Kokusan", but sometimes there is no mention of country of origin (or it's difficult to find), in which case, most people assume it's from China.

[harmonicon]

10. interesting

Do you find that most people would rather buy the Japanese products, if they can/could afford them, or do they just shop based on price?

[Art_from_Ark]

12. It used to be that Japanese preferred domestic without hesitation

Then, cheaper imports started gaining in popularity. However, with all the recent food scares, I think more attention is being paid to country of origin again. I sometimes go to a store that sells a lot of Chinese-made foods, and even though they are relatively cheap, most of the customers I've seen there seem to be non-Japanese Asians.

[Art_from_Ark]

13. On a side note

I once bought a big jar of Chinese-made blueberry jam at that store. Much to my chagrin, one time I took a big bite of blueberry jam toast and nearly broke a tooth on a big, black piece of... something... that had been included as a "bonus" in the jam jar :puke: I'll never buy that crap again.

[harmonicon]

14. haha!

That's some bonus!

[damntexdem]

3. See, pork producers are good for the economy -- hurrah for Congress!

;-)

[bemildred]

6. And the pork-barrel industry too. nt

[flvegan]

11. Exporting our shitty diet.

Congrats, America, you convinced them.