Decorah woman says a trade mission to Japan stressed the importance of American beef

(Left to right): Logan, Iowa farmer Tamara Heim and Decorah farmer Dainna Smith represented Iowa beef farmers at a grocery store in Japan. (Photo courtesy of Iowa Beef Industry Council)

Japan remains a vital market for US beef exports.  That's the conclusion of Decorah resident Dainna Smith, a beef farmer and member of the Iowa Beef Industry Council.

Smith recently returned from a trip to Japan, where she met with import buyers, government officials and supermarket meat buyers.  The trip "really was eye-opening," she tells decorahnews.com.

Smith says Japanese farmers can supply only 40 percent of the demand for beef in Japan, so Australia and the United States are major players in the beef market.

Smith was able to visit a Wagyu farm (pronounced "wy-GOO-bee") while in Japan to learn how Japanese beef is raised.  The highly-marbled beef is different from American beef, says Smith.  Another difference she learned from her visit is the popularity of beef tongue in Japan--selling for the equivalent of around $6/pound.

Australian beef exporters have done well in Japan recently--in part because the country is part of the Trans Pacific Partnership, which provides significantly lower import tariffs.  Smith says she hopes the United States will either join the TPP or negotiate a separate US-Japan trade agreement so American beef exporters will continue to do well.

Smith has served on the Iowa Beef Industry Council for a year and a half as a Board of Directors member and says she has enjoyed the responsibility.