U.S. pork and beef exports continued to trend above year-ago levels in June, capping a very strong first half of the year.

June beef exports were the largest of 2017, reaching 109,554 metric tons, up 11 percent year-over-year and the largest June total since 2011, according to statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Beef export value increased 10 percent to $602.5 million.

For January through June, beef exports were up 12 percent in volume (606,876 metric tons) and 15 percent in value ($3.35 billion) compared to the first...