Starting with the breakup of the Soviet Union and a trade deal stuck between Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush, exports have become an increasingly prominent marketing outlet for the U.S. broiler industry. Beyond Russia, expanded trade with China and Mexico bolstered the industry’s export program even further.
At the program’s peak, roughly one in every five pounds of broiler meat produced in the U.S. was sent to a foreign destination. Strained relations with Russia and a series of other obstacles have resulted in less favorable export trends over the past decade. Read more