Exporting Nebraska soybeans through export sales of U.S. pork benefits growers by $77.25 million, according to a study in 2025 conducted by The Juday
Group and commissioned by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
The study, based on 2024 soybean production and pork export data, found that pork exports accounted for 100.7 million bushels of U.S. soybean usage. Nebraska’s share of that was just under seven million bushels. For the U.S. as a whole, soybeans consumed by pork exports were valued in 2024 at $1.12 billion. Pork exports generated 13.2% of bushel value, or about $1.46 per bushel, according to the study.
Through the support of organizations like the National Pork Board, the United Soybean Board and the Nebraska Soybean Board, USMEF is able to build global demand for U.S. pork and maximize value for the entire hog carcass. Pork export volume was a record 51.5 pounds per head slaughtered in 2024, or just over 30% of production, much of it comprising loins, hams and variety meats. Just over 10 pounds per head slaughtered was exported as variety meats, cuts not typically consumed or valued in the United States, growing the value of pork exports to a record $67 per head slaughtered.
“Domestic feed usage is critical to our industries and the continued growth in red meat exports is encouraging. A significant share of the soybeans we grow locally is ultimately exported through pork,” says USMEF Chair- Elect Dave Bruntz, who raises corn, soybeans and fed cattle in south-central Nebraska. “This study demonstrates how pork exports drive value directly back to producers.”
While full-year data for 2025 has not yet been compiled, pork exports remain high, just three percent off the record pace set the previous year for both value and volume. A significant drop in U.S. pork sales to China amid high tariffs has been nearly offset by record-large exports to Mexico and Central America and a strong performance in Colombia, the Caribbean, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The USMEF study on the impact of pork exports on U.S. soybeans will be updated in the spring once full 2025 data on crops and exports is available. For more information, please visit www.usmef.org.
