Episode 875: Why Did The Cow Cross The Border?

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Cattle crossing.
Jason Beaubien
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Lately, we've been nerding out about cattle. Specifically, about this one particular set of facts. Every year, the United States exports 500 million pounds of beef to Mexico. But every year, the United States imports 500 million pounds of beef from Mexico.

We heard this, and thought: How is that possible? Why are we trotting all these cows back and forth across the border? We sent a reporter to the border to find out. The answers to those questions explain a lot about how trade works.

Music: "Nighttime Cruisin'"

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Jason Beaubien is NPR's Global Health and Development Correspondent on the Science Desk.
Sarah Gonzalez
Sarah Gonzalez is a host and reporter with Planet Money, NPR's award-winning podcast that finds creative, entertaining ways to make sense of the big, complicated forces that move our economy. She joined the team in April 2018.