Beef imports increased 18.0% year over year in 2025, said Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, in a letter called Cow-Calf Corner.
Total beef imports increased sharply because of declining US beef production and high prices as the current market developed, Peel said. Total beef imports are up 61.4% since 2022.
A VARIETY OF PRODUCTS
A variety of beef products are imported from a many different countries, he said. Much of the imported beef is lean processing beef used to support ground beef production in the US.
Imported lean beef supplements domestic supplies of fatty trimmings from fed cattle and lean beef from cull cows and bulls, Peel said. Fed steers and heifers produce 150 or more pounds of fatty trimmings, which much be mixed with lean beef to make ground beef of various percentages of fat and lean.
For example, it takes seven pounds of 90% lean beef to mix with a single pound of 50% trimmings from fed cattle to formulate an 85% lean ground beef mixture, he said. Without imported beef, it would be impossible to maintain ground beef supplies in the US.
Per capita ground beef supplies in 2025 were estimated at 29.4 pounds, 49% of per capita retail beef consumption of 59.8 pounds, Peel said.
Fifty-two percent of beef imports consist of beef trimmings, he said. Nearly every source of beef imports includes significant proportions of trimmings.
Australia was the largest source of beef imports and the largest source of beef trim, accounting for 31.5% of imported trim, Peel said. New Zealand was the number five source of beef imports but the second largest source of beef trimmings at 16.7% because 82.2% of beef from New Zealand is trimmings.
Brazil is the second largest source of imports and accounted for 15.7% of imported trimmings, he said. Canada and Uruguay each contributed a little less than 11% of beef trimmings.
PRIMAL IMPORTS
Some portion of the 21% of imports in the form of primals/subprimals also are used for ground beef production, Peel said. In other cases, the primals/subprimals are used as muscle cuts.
The majority of primals/subprimals are imported from Canada and Australia.
Imported beef cuts make up 18% of beef imports and may be used in either retail grocery or food service, he said. Mexico accounts for more than 50% of imported beef cuts, much of which is sold in retail grocery markets.
Imported cuts from Brazil, Australia, or other countries are more likely to be used in food service, Peel said. Minor amounts of edible offals (mostly from Mexico) and cooked beef products (mostly from Brazil and Canada) are imported as well.
Expanding drought conditions are affecting cattle markets, and understanding these changes is critical for producers and industry professionals, he said.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers last week ranged from $245.55 per cwt to $250.45, compared with the previous week’s range of $235.00 to $248.29 per cwt. FOB dressed steers and heifers went for $386.05 per cwt to $397.06, compared with $373.20 to $388.53.
The USDA choice cutout Tuesday was up $2.62 per cwt at $386.18 while select was up $3.59 at $387.20. The choice/select spread remained inverted at a minus $1.02 from a minus $0.05 with 89 loads of fabricated product and 22 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA-listed the weighted average wholesale price for fresh 90% lean beef as $445.91 per cwt, and 50% beef was $193.55.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $1.02 to $1.15 a bushel over the May corn contract, which settled at $4.53 3/4 a bushel, up $0.01 3/4.
No live cattle contracts were tendered for delivery Tuesday.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Monday was $374.37 per cwt, down $1.32. This compares with Tuesday’s Apr contract settlement of $366.57, down $2.30.