U.S. meat products are facing a variety of challenges in 2015, noted Derrell Peel, an economist with Oklahoma State University Extension in an article last week on the Pork Network website.

The strong U.S. dollar makes U.S. products more expensive in global markets, he wrote. "This is particularly challenging for beef, which is already high relatively to other meats due to limited supplies," Peel noted.

Higher U.S. pork production and a strong dollar value are pushing pork prices lower, he said. The meat industry is still feeling the effects of the West Coast port worker slowdown, which ended Feb. 20.

"The inability to move perishable product out of the ports has resulted in reduced export demand and...