Livestock Slaughter
Livestock Slaughter
ISSN: 0499-0544
Released March 21, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
Record High Commercial Red Meat and Pork Production in February
February 2023 contained 20 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays.
February 2024 contained 21 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays.
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.55 billion
pounds in February, up 7 percent from the 4.26 billion pounds produced in
February 2023.
Beef production, at 2.17 billion pounds, was 4 percent above the previous
year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.61 million head, up 3 percent from February
2023. The average live weight was up 10 pounds from the previous year, at
1,384 pounds.
Veal production totaled 3.6 million pounds, 6 percent below February a year
ago. Calf slaughter totaled 19,600 head, down 24 percent from February 2023.
The average live weight was up 57 pounds from last year, at 312 pounds.
Pork production totaled 2.37 billion pounds, up 10 percent from the previous
year. Hog slaughter totaled 11.0 million head, up 10 percent from February
2023. The average live weight was down 1 pound from the previous year, at
290 pounds.
Lamb and mutton production, at 10.9 million pounds, was up 8 percent from
February 2023. Sheep slaughter totaled 171,800 head, 11 percent above last
year. The average live weight was 124 pounds, down 5 pounds from February a
year ago.
January to February 2024 commercial red meat production was 9.32 billion
pounds, up 3 percent from 2023. Accumulated beef production was up 1 percent
from last year, veal was down 9 percent, pork was up 6 percent from last
year, and lamb and mutton production was up 6 percent.
This page intentionally left blank.
Contents
Commercial Red Meat Production - United States.......................................... 4
Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States................................. 4
Livestock Slaughter and Average Live Weight - United States............................. 5
Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States............................... 6
Commercial Cattle Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024.......... 7
Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024............ 8
Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024............. 9
Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024.. 10
Livestock Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection by Class - United States................. 11
Federally Inspected Slaughter Average Dressed Weight by Class - United States........... 11
Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: February 2024................ 12
Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: January to February 2024..... 13
Federally Inspected Slaughter Percent of Total Commercial Slaughter - United States..... 13
Terms and Definitions Used for Livestock Slaughter Estimates............................ 14
Statistical Methodology................................................................. 15
Information Contacts.................................................................... 16
Commercial Red Meat Production - United States
[Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : :February 2024 as % of : January to February
: February : January : February :----------------------------------------------------
Type : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : February : January : : :2024 as %
: : : : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ------- million pounds ------ --- percent --- million pounds percent
:
Beef .............: 2,092.2 2,280.8 2,168.5 104 95 4,416.7 4,449.4 101
Veal .............: 3.8 3.9 3.6 94 92 8.2 7.5 91
Pork .............: 2,157.0 2,472.7 2,371.2 110 96 4,582.4 4,843.9 106
Lamb and mutton ..: 10.1 10.6 10.9 108 103 20.3 21.5 106
:
Total red meat ...: 4,263.1 4,768.0 4,554.2 107 96 9,027.5 9,322.2 103
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States
[Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : :February 2024 as % of : January to February
: February : January : February :----------------------------------------------------
Type : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : February : January : : :2024 as %
: : : : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ------- million pounds ------ --- percent --- million pounds percent
:
Beef .............: 2,059.4 2,246.1 2,135.0 104 95 4,346.8 4,381.0 101
Veal .............: 3.7 3.8 3.4 93 91 8.0 7.2 90
Pork .............: 2,148.3 2,462.4 2,361.4 110 96 4,563.8 4,823.8 106
Lamb and mutton ..: 9.3 9.6 9.8 106 102 18.5 19.4 105
:
Total red meat ...: 4,220.7 4,721.9 4,509.6 107 96 8,937.1 9,231.5 103
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Livestock Slaughter and Average Live Weight - United States
[Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : February : January to February
: February : January : February : 2024 as % :--------------------------------------------
Species : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : of 2023 : : : 2024 as %
: : : : : 2023 : 2024 : of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: percent percent
:
Cattle :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 2,500.4 2,680.3 2,564.7 103 5,273.0 5,245.0 99
Other ................1,000: 47.9 50.1 48.5 101 102.1 98.6 97
Commercial ...........1,000: 2,548.2 2,730.4 2,613.1 103 5,375.1 5,343.6 99
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 1,377 1,392 1,387 101 1,380 1,390 101
Other ...............pounds: 1,216 1,226 1,221 100 1,219 1,224 100
Commercial ..........pounds: 1,374 1,389 1,384 101 1,377 1,387 101
:
Calves :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 25.1 22.0 18.9 75 55.2 40.8 74
Other ................1,000: 0.5 0.7 0.8 142 1.1 1.4 129
Commercial ...........1,000: 25.7 22.6 19.6 76 56.3 42.3 75
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 253 292 309 122 250 300 120
Other ...............pounds: 358 349 373 104 366 362 99
Commercial ..........pounds: 255 294 312 122 252 302 120
:
Hogs :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 9,930.7 11,316.9 10,936.9 110 21,010.3 22,253.8 106
Other ................1,000: 43.6 51.8 48.6 111 94.4 100.4 106
Commercial ...........1,000: 9,974.4 11,368.7 10,985.5 110 21,104.7 22,354.2 106
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 291 292 290 100 292 291 100
Other ...............pounds: 273 273 279 102 271 276 102
Commercial ..........pounds: 291 292 290 100 292 291 100
:
Sheep and lambs :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 138.3 152.4 152.2 110 282.6 304.6 108
Other ................1,000: 16.4 19.3 19.6 120 34.9 39.0 112
Commercial ...........1,000: 154.8 171.7 171.8 111 317.6 343.5 108
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 132 124 127 96 129 126 97
Other ...............pounds: 101 98 104 104 100 101 101
Commercial ..........pounds: 129 121 124 97 126 123 97
:
Goats :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 38.2 45.2 42.7 112 79.2 87.9 111
Other ................1,000: 7.0 9.5 9.7 139 14.4 19.2 133
Commercial ...........1,000: 45.2 54.7 52.4 116 93.6 107.1 114
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 65 63 64 98 65 63 97
Other ...............pounds: 83 77 84 102 85 81 95
Commercial ..........pounds: 68 65 68 100 68 66 97
:
Bison :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 6.0 7.7 6.7 111 12.6 14.4 114
Other ................1,000: 0.3 0.3 0.3 91 0.6 0.6 95
Commercial ...........1,000: 6.3 8.0 7.0 110 13.2 14.9 113
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States
[Includes total beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton. Totals and percentages based on
unrounded data]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State : February : January : February :February 2024 as
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : % of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ----------- million pounds ---------- percent
:
Alabama ...............: 1.0 1.2 1.2 121
Alaska ................: (Y) 0.1 0.1 (X)
Arizona ...............: 40.6 42.2 40.3 99
Arkansas ..............: 0.6 0.6 0.6 104
California ............: 106.8 102.1 96.1 90
Colorado ..............: 155.5 178.6 163.0 105
Delaware-Maryland .....: 2.6 2.9 2.7 101
Florida ...............: 6.6 4.3 5.4 82
Georgia ...............: 11.0 13.8 14.9 136
Hawaii ................: 0.7 0.7 0.8 115
:
Idaho .................: 32.1 42.1 42.0 131
Illinois ..............: 251.2 294.3 281.3 112
Indiana ...............: 148.9 174.4 151.9 102
Iowa ..................: 698.4 811.5 809.9 116
Kansas ................: 440.8 485.0 451.8 102
Kentucky ..............: 47.9 54.4 51.7 108
Louisiana .............: 0.3 0.3 0.4 129
Michigan ..............: 101.1 127.4 119.2 118
Minnesota .............: 230.9 250.9 237.4 103
Mississippi ...........: 0.7 0.8 0.8 115
:
Missouri ..............: 164.3 181.5 171.3 104
Montana ...............: 1.3 1.2 1.3 94
Nebraska ..............: 596.7 664.6 655.1 110
Nevada ................: (Y) (Y) (Y) (X)
New England 1/ ........: 2.3 2.8 2.6 111
New Jersey ............: 3.5 3.9 3.9 111
New Mexico ............: 0.4 0.5 0.4 119
New York ..............: 3.1 3.0 2.9 93
North Carolina ........: 249.4 245.7 226.0 91
North Dakota ..........: 0.7 0.9 0.8 110
:
Ohio ..................: 21.4 26.9 24.1 113
Oklahoma ..............: 101.4 116.9 118.1 116
Oregon ................: 2.3 2.3 2.2 96
Pennsylvania ..........: 121.7 140.1 134.7 111
South Carolina ........: 14.8 17.1 17.2 116
South Dakota ..........: 109.0 131.9 123.6 113
Tennessee .............: 22.6 24.8 26.2 116
Texas .................: 359.3 386.0 352.3 98
Utah ..................: 41.6 48.4 44.6 107
Virginia ..............: 1.5 1.5 1.5 97
:
Washington ............: 73.8 76.9 75.1 102
West Virginia .........: 1.0 1.2 1.0 95
Wisconsin .............: 92.7 101.4 97.4 105
Wyoming ...............: 0.8 0.8 0.7 97
:
United States .........: 4,263.1 4,768.0 4,554.2 107
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(X) Not applicable.
(Y) Less than level of precision shown.
1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Commercial Cattle Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ----
:
Alabama ..........: 1.0 0.9 1,149 1,011 1,139 1,143
Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Arizona ..........: 46.2 45.1 65,307 64,791 1,415 1,438
Arkansas .........: 0.9 0.9 848 908 981 1,015
California .......: 125.5 108.1 165,907 145,495 1,331 1,357
Colorado .........: 178.5 178.2 245,817 255,332 1,378 1,435
Delaware-Maryland : 2.6 2.6 3,718 3,749 1,407 1,419
Florida ..........: 10.6 8.2 12,786 10,081 1,206 1,229
Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Hawaii ...........: 1.0 1.2 1,156 1,330 1,191 1,148
:
Idaho ............: 44.5 (D) 56,904 (D) 1,287 (D)
Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Indiana ..........: 3.9 5.5 4,669 6,581 1,207 1,200
Iowa .............: 44.0 45.5 62,232 64,543 1,417 1,419
Kansas ...........: 497.3 513.3 687,405 704,740 1,383 1,373
Kentucky .........: 5.7 6.2 6,176 7,118 1,098 1,145
Louisiana ........: 0.5 0.6 406 552 844 935
Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Minnesota ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Mississippi ......: 0.6 0.6 554 644 960 1,036
:
Missouri .........: 22.5 18.3 28,151 22,344 1,256 1,225
Montana ..........: 1.8 1.5 2,216 1,838 1,228 1,252
Nebraska .........: 530.1 569.9 766,215 829,248 1,447 1,457
Nevada ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
New England 1/ ...: 2.8 2.8 3,184 3,416 1,158 1,210
New Jersey .......: 3.8 4.3 4,364 4,845 1,145 1,143
New Mexico .......: 0.5 0.6 545 639 1,178 1,093
New York .........: 3.3 3.3 4,054 4,006 1,233 1,216
North Carolina ...: 7.0 7.2 8,619 8,806 1,235 1,232
North Dakota .....: 0.9 0.9 1,131 1,226 1,288 1,323
:
Ohio .............: 6.5 6.0 8,622 7,964 1,326 1,332
Oklahoma .........: 5.6 6.1 6,607 7,134 1,182 1,197
Oregon ...........: 1.5 1.3 1,844 1,543 1,196 1,204
Pennsylvania .....: 87.6 89.2 111,770 115,522 1,283 1,301
South Carolina ...: 21.7 24.6 28,855 33,734 1,336 1,377
South Dakota .....: 32.7 37.7 47,229 55,413 1,449 1,476
Tennessee ........: 3.5 3.7 3,270 3,682 959 1,019
Texas ............: 448.5 437.1 593,334 577,691 1,327 1,325
Utah .............: 46.7 49.4 65,122 70,078 1,396 1,420
Virginia .........: 1.8 1.8 2,004 1,837 1,097 1,050
:
Washington .......: 87.4 86.3 121,431 122,463 1,393 1,423
West Virginia ....: 1.3 1.2 1,489 1,365 1,145 1,168
Wisconsin ........: 98.4 102.8 138,279 144,630 1,414 1,415
Wyoming ..........: 1.0 1.0 1,187 1,150 1,204 1,170
:
United States ....: 2,548.2 2,613.1 3,494,099 3,609,444 1,374 1,384
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
(X) Not applicable.
(Y) Less than level of precision shown.
1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: -- 1,000 head -- 1,000 pounds --- pounds ---
:
Alabama ..........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Arizona ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Arkansas .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
California .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Colorado .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Delaware-Maryland : (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Florida ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Georgia ..........: 0.2 0.1 89 37 480 481
Hawaii ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
:
Idaho ............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Illinois .........: 0.2 0.3 63 105 361 409
Indiana ..........: 0.6 0.5 243 229 423 419
Iowa .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Kansas ...........: (Y) 0.1 (X) 29 (X) 438
Kentucky .........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Louisiana ........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Minnesota ........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Mississippi ......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
:
Missouri .........: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X)
Montana ..........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Nebraska .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
New England 1/ ...: 0.2 0.2 32 39 206 251
New Jersey .......: 1.3 1.3 506 484 377 378
New Mexico .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
New York .........: 4.0 (D) 368 (D) 93 (D)
North Carolina ...: 0.1 0.2 35 47 290 304
North Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
:
Ohio .............: 5.1 2.6 832 787 164 303
Oklahoma .........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
Oregon ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Pennsylvania .....: 6.3 7.8 2,696 3,450 429 445
South Carolina ...: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X)
South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Tennessee ........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Texas ............: 0.1 0.2 59 112 421 488
Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Virginia .........: 0.1 (D) 27 (D) 315 (D)
:
Washington .......: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X)
West Virginia ....: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
Wisconsin ........: 2.0 (Y) 881 (X) 453 (X)
Wyoming ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
:
United States ....: 25.7 19.6 6,525 6,091 255 312
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
(X) Not applicable.
(Y) Less than level of precision shown.
1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- --- pounds ---
:
Alabama ..........: 1.2 2.2 464 913 399 424
Alaska ...........: 0.1 0.1 16 34 238 277
Arizona ..........: 0.1 0.1 14 17 266 295
Arkansas .........: 0.4 0.4 106 108 286 254
California .......: 75.2 81.5 17,965 18,487 239 227
Colorado .........: 2.5 3.2 399 491 160 154
Delaware-Maryland : 1.7 1.8 488 528 286 292
Florida ..........: 4.2 4.7 522 619 125 131
Georgia ..........: 4.8 5.0 1,276 1,375 266 277
Hawaii ...........: 0.1 0.1 37 33 252 268
:
Idaho ............: 11.0 10.8 2,871 2,715 261 252
Illinois .........: 896.8 1,008.1 256,958 290,845 287 289
Indiana ..........: 695.8 706.7 194,798 197,648 280 280
Iowa .............: 3,117.3 3,574.5 894,594 1,043,570 287 292
Kansas ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Kentucky .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Louisiana ........: 0.3 0.3 56 71 215 226
Michigan .........: 294.3 374.3 86,213 108,968 293 291
Minnesota ........: 981.2 1,004.6 274,434 280,974 280 280
Mississippi ......: 3.0 3.6 549 623 183 171
:
Missouri .........: 680.7 722.6 200,312 213,863 294 296
Montana ..........: 0.6 0.8 180 215 298 286
Nebraska .........: 594.5 670.7 172,168 197,417 290 294
Nevada ...........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
New England 1/ ...: 1.7 2.0 483 583 285 293
New Jersey .......: 7.0 9.5 666 892 95 94
New Mexico .......: 0.1 0.2 32 53 238 253
New York .........: 2.1 1.6 557 380 260 244
North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
North Dakota .....: 0.2 0.2 71 74 304 305
:
Ohio .............: 74.3 87.0 21,209 25,407 286 293
Oklahoma .........: 437.2 496.4 128,969 148,631 295 299
Oregon ...........: 4.5 5.0 1,157 1,268 259 253
Pennsylvania .....: 253.2 298.0 73,028 85,887 288 288
South Carolina ...: 1.7 1.7 429 413 256 247
South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Tennessee ........: 71.8 80.1 31,356 36,498 437 456
Texas ............: 20.8 23.4 4,690 4,688 225 201
Utah .............: 2.2 1.7 615 474 285 273
Virginia .........: 1.1 1.3 359 402 339 310
:
Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
West Virginia ....: 0.7 0.7 189 204 291 303
Wisconsin ........: 65.2 71.7 27,776 31,193 427 436
Wyoming ..........: 0.2 0.2 58 47 256 261
:
United States ....: 9,974.4 10,985.5 2,899,396 3,189,250 291 290
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
(X) Not applicable.
(Y) Less than level of precision shown.
1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: February 2023 and 2024
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: --- 1,000 head -- -- 1,000 pounds -- --- pounds ---
:
Alabama ..........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Arizona ..........: 0.1 0.7 10 77 97 112
Arkansas .........: 0.1 0.2 8 14 122 80
California .......: 21.9 23.5 3,305 3,633 151 154
Colorado .........: 33.2 36.1 5,655 6,041 170 168
Delaware-Maryland : 1.8 1.4 171 136 97 97
Florida ..........: 2.4 2.8 127 143 53 50
Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Hawaii ...........: 0.1 0.1 10 19 151 139
:
Idaho ............: 0.1 0.2 22 24 157 154
Illinois .........: 4.3 5.4 404 455 94 84
Indiana ..........: 4.9 4.8 503 496 103 103
Iowa .............: 0.1 0.1 17 14 147 125
Kansas ...........: 0.4 0.4 33 36 87 97
Kentucky .........: 1.0 1.4 106 151 103 105
Louisiana ........: 0.6 0.7 35 45 62 61
Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Minnesota ........: 0.5 0.7 39 53 80 79
Mississippi ......: 0.1 0.2 6 15 62 79
:
Missouri .........: 0.6 0.7 46 62 73 84
Montana ..........: 0.2 0.2 19 18 124 120
Nebraska .........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Nevada ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
New England 1/ ...: 3.0 3.8 290 362 96 96
New Jersey .......: 13.0 13.1 1,071 1,085 82 83
New Mexico .......: 0.5 0.4 65 51 143 140
New York .........: 4.9 5.8 442 509 91 88
North Carolina ...: 1.7 3.1 112 191 65 61
North Dakota .....: (Y) 0.1 (X) 6 (X) 93
:
Ohio .............: 4.5 5.0 739 759 164 153
Oklahoma .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Oregon ...........: 4.3 4.2 665 674 154 161
Pennsylvania .....: 9.6 11.1 931 1,096 97 99
South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
South Dakota .....: 0.2 0.1 20 15 123 114
Tennessee ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Texas ............: 17.7 21.3 2,123 2,315 120 109
Utah .............: 1.5 1.4 200 189 136 137
Virginia .........: 0.6 1.3 48 80 77 64
:
Washington .......: 1.1 1.1 152 153 138 137
West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Wisconsin ........: 2.2 0.7 344 83 153 117
Wyoming ..........: 0.1 0.2 9 21 135 119
:
United States ....: 154.8 171.8 19,940 21,363 129 124
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
(X) Not applicable.
(Y) Less than level of precision shown.
1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Livestock Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection by Class - United States
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : January to February : : : : January to February
Class : February : January : February :-----------------------: February : January : February :-----------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: --------------------- 1,000 head -------------------- ----------------- percent of total ----------------
:
Cattle :
Steers ...........: 1,160.8 1,286.6 1,199.2 2,431.7 2,485.7 46.4 48.0 46.8 46.1 47.4
Heifers ..........: 773.5 834.1 812.4 1,621.5 1,646.5 30.9 31.1 31.7 30.8 31.4
All cows .........: 532.8 528.0 516.2 1,148.8 1,044.2 21.3 19.7 20.1 21.8 19.9
Dairy cows .......: 266.5 250.2 252.7 564.4 503.0 10.7 9.3 9.9 10.7 9.6
Other cows .......: 266.4 277.8 263.4 584.4 541.2 10.7 10.4 10.3 11.1 10.3
Bulls ............: 33.2 31.6 36.9 71.1 68.5 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3
:
Total ............: 2,500.4 2,680.3 2,564.7 5,273.0 5,245.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Calves and :
vealers ...... : 25.1 22.0 18.9 55.2 40.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Hogs :
Barrows and :
gilts ..........: 9,666.6 11,006.6 10,638.1 20,455.9 21,644.7 97.3 97.3 97.3 97.4 97.3
Sows .............: 239.9 286.0 274.1 506.7 560.1 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.5
Boars ............: 24.3 24.3 24.7 47.7 49.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
:
Total ............: 9,930.7 11,316.9 10,936.9 21,010.3 22,253.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Sheep :
Mature :
sheep ..........: 7.3 9.7 9.0 16.9 18.7 5.3 6.4 5.9 6.0 6.1
Lambs and :
yearlings ......: 131.0 142.7 143.1 265.7 285.8 94.7 93.6 94.1 94.0 93.9
:
Total ............: 138.3 152.4 152.2 282.6 304.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federally Inspected Slaughter Average Dressed Weight by Class - United States
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : January to February
Class : February : January : February :-----------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: pounds
:
Cattle ............... : 826 840 834 826 837
Steers 1/ ...............: 904 921 914 909 918
Heifers 1/ ..............: 829 836 834 831 835
All cows 1/ .............: 647 644 645 643 644
Bulls 1/ ................: 846 868 873 845 871
:
Calves and vealers ... : 148 172 183 145 177
:
Hogs ................. : 216 218 216 217 217
Barrows and gilts 2/ ....: 215 216 214 215 215
Sows 2/ .................: 294 295 299 295 297
Boars 2/ ................: 194 223 224 194 223
:
Sheep ................ : 67 63 65 65 64
Mature sheep 3/ .........: 65 64 65 63 65
Lambs and yearlings 3/ ..: 67 63 65 66 64
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Included in cattle average dressed weight.
2/ Included in hog average dressed weight.
3/ Included in sheep average dressed weight.
Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: February 2024
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Cattle : Calves
Standard :-----------------------------------------------------------------------
federal : : : : Cows : :
regions 1/ : Total : Steers :Heifers :--------------------------: Bulls : Total
: : : : All : Dairy : Other : :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 head
:
1 ............: 2.5 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2
2 ............: 7.5 1.9 2.1 3.2 2.8 0.4 0.3 3.1
3 ............: 91.4 34.5 4.5 47.1 35.0 12.0 5.4 8.0
4 ............: 75.9 4.2 2.4 61.0 16.7 44.3 8.3 0.3
5 ............: 252.4 114.3 (D) 99.1 60.3 38.8 (D) 3.3
6 ............: 439.0 190.7 144.4 95.2 34.5 60.7 8.6 (D)
7 ............:1,135.9 612.0 (D) 70.7 6.7 64.1 (D) 0.1
8 ............: 263.4 128.4 (D) 24.6 7.0 17.6 (D) (Y)
9 ............: 153.8 60.0 25.1 67.2 57.6 9.6 1.5 (D)
10 ...........: 142.8 52.2 41.5 47.6 31.8 15.8 1.5 (D)
:
United States :2,564.7 1,199.2 812.4 516.2 252.7 263.4 36.9 18.9
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Hogs : Sheep
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and
: :and gilts: Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 head
:
1 ............: 1.7 1.7 (Y) (Y) 3.7 0.2 3.5
2 ............: 11.0 10.9 (Y) (Y) 18.3 2.0 16.3
3 ............: 299.3 299.1 (D) (D) 14.7 1.6 13.0
4 ............: (D) (D) (D) (D) 10.9 0.9 9.9
5 ............: 3,231.5 3,114.4 112.0 5.1 24.8 1.5 23.4
6 ............: 515.7 515.5 0.1 0.1 14.8 0.5 14.3
7 ............: 4,980.9 4,886.2 79.7 14.9 1.0 (Y) 1.0
8 ............: (D) (D) 0.4 (Y) 37.3 0.8 36.5
9 ............: 78.1 78.0 (Y) (Y) 22.2 1.3 20.9
10 ...........: 17.0 16.9 (Y) (Y) 4.5 0.1 4.4
:
United States :10,936.9 10,638.1 274.1 24.7 152.2 9.0 143.1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
(Y) Less than level of precision shown.
1/ States included in regions are as follows: 1 - Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; 2 - New Jersey, New York; 3
- Delaware-Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia; 4 - Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee; 5 -
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; 6 - Arkansas, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas; 7 - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska; 8- Colorado,
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; 9 - Arizona, California,
Hawaii, Nevada; 10 - Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington.
Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: January to February 2024
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Cattle : Calves
Standard :-----------------------------------------------------------------------
federal : : : : Cows : :
regions 1/ : Total : Steers :Heifers :--------------------------: Bulls : Total
: : : : All : Dairy : Other : :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 head
:
1 ............: 5.2 2.1 1.5 1.1 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.4
2 ............: 15.2 3.9 4.3 6.5 5.6 0.9 0.5 7.2
3 ............: 186.8 73.0 8.1 96.0 72.8 23.2 9.6 15.7
4 ............: 147.0 8.9 4.8 118.4 31.9 86.5 14.9 0.8
5 ............: 511.8 233.2 (D) 199.3 119.0 80.3 (D) 8.1
6 ............: 917.0 392.5 312.8 195.4 67.8 127.6 16.3 (D)
7 ............:2,309.8 1,256.7 (D) 146.3 13.8 132.6 (D) 0.1
8 ............: 548.1 285.1 (D) 49.2 13.4 35.8 (D) (Y)
9 ............: 317.1 125.0 49.8 139.2 117.2 22.0 3.0 (D)
10 ...........: 287.1 105.2 86.1 92.8 60.9 31.9 2.9 (D)
:
United States :5,245.0 2,485.7 1,646.5 1,044.2 503.0 541.2 68.5 40.8
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Hogs : Sheep
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and
: :and gilts : Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 head
:
1 ............: 4.1 4.0 0.1 (Y) 7.7 0.4 7.3
2 ............: 21.9 21.8 0.1 (Y) 36.9 3.8 33.1
3 ............: 605.9 605.4 (D) (D) 30.5 3.8 26.7
4 ............: (D) (D) (D) (D) 21.5 1.9 19.6
5 ............: 6,721.8 6,474.9 237.8 9.1 50.5 3.0 47.5
6 ............: 1,025.0 1,024.5 0.3 0.1 32.1 1.1 30.9
7 ............: 9,961.6 9,773.2 158.9 29.5 1.9 (Y) 1.8
8 ............: (D) (D) 0.7 (Y) 70.9 1.5 69.3
9 ............: 154.2 154.1 0.1 (Y) 43.4 2.8 40.5
10 ...........: 36.5 36.4 0.1 (Y) 9.3 0.3 8.9
:
United States : 22,253.8 21,644.7 560.1 49.0 304.6 18.7 285.8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
(Y) Less than level of precision shown.
1/ States included in regions are as follows: 1 - Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; 2 - New Jersey, New York; 3
- Delaware-Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia; 4 - Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee; 5 -
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; 6 - Arkansas, Louisiana,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas; 7 - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska; 8- Colorado,
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; 9 - Arizona, California,
Hawaii, Nevada; 10 - Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington.
Federally Inspected Slaughter Percent of Total Commercial Slaughter -
United States
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : January to February
Species : February : January : February :------------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
:
Cattle .......: 98.1 98.2 98.1 98.1 98.2
Calves .......: 97.9 97.1 96.0 98.0 96.6
Hogs .........: 99.6 99.5 99.6 99.6 99.6
Sheep ........: 89.4 88.7 88.6 89.0 88.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terms and Definitions Used for Livestock Slaughter Estimates
Average Live Weight: The weight of the whole animal, before slaughter.
Excludes post-mortem condemnations.
Commercial Production: Includes slaughter and meat production in federally
inspected and other plants, but excludes animals slaughtered on farms. Based
on packers' dressed weights.
Custom-Exempt Plants: Plants that do not sell meat but operate on a custom
basis only are custom-exempt. The animals and meat are not inspected, but the
facilities must meet health standards. These are considered NFI plants and
head kill is included in NFI totals.
Dressed Weight: The weight of a chilled animal carcass. Beef with kidney knob
in; veal with hide off; lamb and mutton with pluck out; pork with leaf fat
and kidneys out, jowls on and head off.
Dressing Percent: Usually expressed as a percentage yield of chilled carcass
in relation to the weight of the live animal on hoof. For example, a live hog
that weighed 200 pounds on hoof and yielded a carcass weighing 140 pounds
would have a dressing percentage of 70.
Federally Inspected (FI) Plants: Plants that transport meat interstate must
employ federal inspectors to assure compliance with USDA standards. Any state
whose commercial plants operate entirely under federal inspection may still
have custom-exempt establishments for which NFI estimates are made.
Food and Meat Inspection: Includes examination, checking, or testing of a
carcass and/or meat against established government standards and involves
checking the facility for cleanliness, health of animals, or parts of animals
and quality of the meat produced.
Non-Federally Inspected (NFI) Plants: Plants which sell and transport only
intrastate. State inspectors assure compliance with individual state
standards for these NFI plants. Mobile slaughtering units are excluded and
are considered farm slaughter.
Number of Head: Includes post-mortem condemnations.
Plant, Slaughter: An establishment where animals are killed and butchered.
Red Meat: Red meat production is the carcass weight after slaughter excluding
condemnation and is comprised of beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. The
FI red meat production is equal to the total carcass weight after slaughter.
The NFI meat production formula is (NFI head kill) X (live weight) X (FI
dressing percentage) = NFI red meat production.
Slaughter: Killing and butchering of animals primarily for food.
Slaughter, Farm: Animals slaughtered on farms primarily for home consumption.
Excludes custom slaughter for farmers at commercial establishments, but
includes mobile slaughtering on farms. These estimates appear only in the
annual slaughter release.
Talmedge-Aiken (TA) Plants: Slaughter plants in which USDA is responsible for
inspection. However, federal inspection is carried out by State employees.
These plants are considered to be federally inspected.
Total Live Weight: The total weight of live animals, before slaughter.
Excludes post-mortem condemnations.
Wholesome Meat Act: Legislation that specifies that all meat produced for
sale in the United States must be inspected. Meat that is transported
interstate must be inspected in compliance with Federal (USDA) Standards.
Statistical Methodology
Data Sources: Primary data for the Livestock Slaughter publication are
obtained from electronic reports completed by inspectors from the Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA, which provide daily counts of animals
slaughtered in Federally Inspected (FI) plants, in addition to total live and
dressed weights. These counts are combined with data from State-administered
Non-Federally Inspected (NFI) slaughter plants to derive total commercial
slaughter estimates.
There are approximately 950 livestock slaughter plants in the United States
operating under Federal Inspection and nearly 1,950 Non-Federally Inspected
(State-inspected or custom-exempt) slaughter plants. Slaughter from State-
inspected Talmedge-Aiken plants is included in FI totals (see Terms and
Definitions, page 14). To prevent duplication in reporting between FI and NFI
plants and assure all FI plants are included, certificates prepared by FSIS
identifying operating status are constantly monitored.
Revision Policy: Number of head slaughtered, live weights, and dressed
weights are subject to revision the following month after the monthly
release. Annual totals are published in the slaughter summary each April
which includes any revisions made to current and previous year's published
data. Revisions are generally the result of late reports received from
slaughter plants and are usually less than one-half of one percent. No
revisions will be made to the previous year's data after the publication of
the annual summary in April.
Procedures and Reliability: The livestock slaughter data is obtained
electronically on a daily basis and summarized approximately two weeks after
the week of slaughter. A computer program compares each plant's data with the
historical data for that plant. Data are checked for unusual values for head
kill, patterns of kill, average weights, and dressing percent, based on each
plant's past operating profile. In addition, the computer program provides a
listing of missing reports for follow-up contact with FSIS. Average live and
dressed weights and dressing percentages by State are compared with the
previous weeks as an additional check. Fluctuations are frequently the result
of plants permanently or temporarily closing and a shift in the species
reported.
The FSIS District Veterinary Medical Specialists (DVMS) are contacted by e-
mail or telephone for missing or potentially erroneous slaughter data. This
assures that plants slaughtering a large number of head or several species
are accounted for each week. Any corrections FSIS makes to the slaughter data
are included in the summary.
Computer imputation may be necessary for incomplete reports. The imputation
of live and dressed weights is based on the current week reported data of
plants of similar size and location. Imputation for live and dressed weight
data for cattle and hogs is less than 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively.
The imputation for calves and sheep is more frequent and variable. If no
data is received electronically or by other means, for plants slaughtering
fewer than 50 total head weekly of only one species, data are imputed. The
imputation of head for any plant is based on the historical data for that
particular plant. The imputation of head slaughtered is rare but when
necessary, the imputed head kill for missing plants usually is less than 1
percent of the United States head kill totals.
FI data are summarized weekly and accumulated to a monthly total for this
release. These weekly totals are published by USDA's Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) in Livestock, Meat, Wool Market News, Weekly Summary, and
statistics are also available on the NASS website. NFI data are summarized
monthly only.
Livestock slaughter estimates are based on a census of operating plants and
therefore, have no sampling error. However, they may be subject to non-
sampling errors such as omissions, duplications and mistakes in reporting,
recording and processing the data. These errors are minimized through rigid
quality controls in the computer edit program and summarization process, and
a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness.
No data are published when an individual plant's data could be divulged. If
not published, as indicated with a (D), these data are still included in
United States and region totals. A review of the data is made annually to
determine the publishable data.
Information Contacts
Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics
Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@usda.gov.
Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch ....................................................... (202) 692-0069
Scott Hollis, Head, Livestock Section ......................................................... (202) 690-2424
Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter .................................................... (202) 690-8632
Ryan Cowen - Cattle, Cattle on Feed ........................................................ (202) 720-3040
Kim Dapra - Milk Production and Milk Cows .................................................. (512) 501-3266
Donnie Fike - Dairy Products ............................................................... (202) 690-3347
Anthony Fischer - Hogs and Pigs ............................................................ (202) 720-3106
Suzanne Richards - Sheep and Goats ......................................................... (202) 720-4448
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