Beefenomics
Beefenomics Blog: Cattle Market Update -- Georgia and Uruguay
William Secor
This past week, I had the pleasure and honor of co-leading a study abroad trip of 14 students to Uruguay with Dr. Alex Stelzleni. The students experienced the diverse agricultural supply chain ecosystem in Uruguay from beef production and packaging to rice milling and sorghum production. Differences certainly abound in many ways in culture, in agriculture, and the beef cattle sector in particular. However, there are important similarities, too. Both of these differences and similarities may open a new perspective or provide a reminder of how we can think about Georgia’s beef cattle sector through an economics (beef-onomics?) lens.
Uruguay’s Beef Cattle Sector
The beef cattle sector in Uruguay is dominated by grass pasture production from the cowcalf sector through finishing. Very few cattle are finished on grain in a feedlot. Many operations specialize in cow-calf, backgrounding, or finishing, while others span the entire growth cycle. Angus and Hereford breeds are common. In 2022, over 80 percent of Uruguay’s beef production was exported. The USDA estimated that Uruguay exported nearly 500 thousand metric tons of beef in 2023. This accounted for about four percent of global exports. In 2023, it was also the eleventh largest exporter of live cattle.
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Spring break study abroad participants made national news while in Uruguay as they had the unique opportunity to meet with newly inaugurated President Yamandu Orsi.