Export values for both U.S. beef and pork reached new heights in 2014, posting double-digit gains over the previous year’s totals, according to statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and compiled last week by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Beef export value was $7.13 billion — an increase of 16 percent (and nearly $1 billion) over the previous record set in 2013. Export volume was just under 1.2 million metric tons, which was short of the 2011 record but up 2 percent year-over-year.

Pork export value totaled $6.67 billion, an increase of 10 percent year-over-year, breaking the 2012 record by 6 percent. Pork export volume increased 2 percent to 2.18 million metric tons. The volume...