Beef and veal exports have the highest unit value so far this year, averaging $2.36/lb., U.S. Department of Agriculture economist Kim Ha relayed in the latest “Livestock, Dairy & Poultry Outlook.” The numbers have been driven largely by high-value markets in Asia, Ha said.

Despite representing less than 0.1% of total 2018 U.S. animal protein export volumes, USDA reported that lamb and mutton shipments have the second-highest unit value, with a year-to-date average of $2.28/lb.

Cheese exports currently have a unit value of $1.90/lb., which is a weighted average for a wide variety of cheeses and usually is higher than the price of basic wholesale commodity cheddar.

Egg exports, which Ha said are more or less equally comprised of higher-value shell eggs and lower-value egg products, have a unit value of $1.08/lb.

The unit value for turkey, at $1.02/lb., closely approximates the unit value of turkey shipments to Mexico, which constitute more than 64% of the U.S. turkey export market.

The unit value of pork, at 99 cents/lb., is heavily influenced by markets in Japan (which are higher value), South Korea (mid-value markets) and Mexico (lower-value markets).

Finally, broiler exports — which are dominated by lower-value dark meats — have the lowest unit value, at 46 cents/lb.