Overall, meat exports are important across all sectors leading to forecasted higher prices. Despite a challenging 2020, the livestock industry was actually able to pivot and turn things around, ramp things up and get near pre-COVID levels toward the end of the year. Heading into 2021, total red meat and poultry production is forecast to increase 1% and higher prices are ahead, according to the latest outlooks presented at USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 18 and 19. “In 2021, livestock and poultry sectors will face additional pressure in the form of higher forecast feed costs, but faced with an expected more stable demand pattern, livestock and poultry prices should average above 2020,” shares USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer. “Economic growth and support from an increasingly important export component will support higher livestock and poultry prices in 2021.”