American consumers have de­­fied expectations and have re­­mained loyal customers of beef and pork despite rising red meat prices and large supplies of inexpensive chicken, two livestock economists noted last week at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) annual convention in San Antonio.

"It has surprised me that consumers have adjusted to higher prices for beef and pork as well as they have," said John Anderson, an AFBF economist during a meeting of the U.S. Meat Export Federation held in conjunction with the AFBF annual meeting.

Derrell Peel, an Oklahoma State University livestock economist, agreed that the strength of consumer demand for red meats has been remarkable, especially with tight supplies driving...