News

A little less meat last year

Total red meat production in the United States in 2013 was over 49 billion pounds, slightly less than in 2012.

Beef production was down 1 percent at nearly 26 billion pounds. Cattle slaughter was down 1 percent at 32.5 million head while the average live weight was up 12 pounds at 1,314 pounds. Half of all the cattle slaughtered were steers, 28 percent were heifers, 10 percent were dairy cows, 10 percent were other cows and less than 2 percent were bulls.

Dairy cow slaughter in 2013 totaled 3.1 million head, 23,000 more than in 2012.

Veal production totaled 118 million pounds last year down 6 percent from 2012. Calf numbers were 1 percent lower at 762,000 head and the average live weight was 250 pounds, down 10 pounds from the previous year

Pork production in 2013 was just over 23 billion pounds, slightly less than in 2012. More than 112 million hogs went to commercial slaughter, down 1 percent from 2012 while the average live weight was a pound heavier at 276 pounds. 97 percent of the hogs slaughtered were barrows and gilts.

Lamb and mutton production was up slightly last year at 161 million pounds. Slaughter numbers were up 6 percent to more than 2 million head while the average live weight was down 8 pounds at 135 pounds.

Almost half of the commercial red meat production in the U.S. came from Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas.

There were 831 plants slaughtering under federal inspection as of January 1, 2014, five more than a year earlier. 55 percent of the cattle slaughter was in 13 plants, 57 percent of the hogs went through 12 plants.

Read the full NASS annual report here: