First-half U.S. beef ex­­ports set a record pace in both volume and value as international customers bought a larger share of U.S. beef production at higher prices, indicating strong demand, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) said last week.

Export volume was up 9 percent from a year ago to 662,875 metric tons while export value was just over $4 billion, up 21 percent. In previous years, export value never topped the $4 billion mark before August.

“It’s remarkable to think that as recently as 2010, beef exports for the entire year...