Livestock Slaughter
Livestock Slaughter
ISSN: 0499-0544
Released April 25, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
Commercial Red Meat Production Down 11 Percent from Last Year
March 2023 contained 23 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays.
March 2024 contained 21 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 5 Saturdays.
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.38 billion
pounds in March, down 11 percent from the 4.91 billion pounds produced in
March 2023.
Beef production, at 2.11 billion pounds, was 12 percent below the previous
year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.51 million head, down 15 percent from March
2023. The average live weight was up 26 pounds from the previous year, at
1,392 pounds.
Veal production totaled 3.6 million pounds, 15 percent below March a year
ago. Calf slaughter totaled 18,900 head, down 28 percent from March 2023. The
average live weight was up 46 pounds from last year, at 323 pounds.
Pork production totaled 2.25 billion pounds, down 10 percent from the
previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 10.5 million head, down 9 percent from
March 2023. The average live weight was down 3 pounds from the previous year,
at 289 pounds.
Lamb and mutton production, at 12.3 million pounds, was down 5 percent from
March 2023. Sheep slaughter totaled 199,300 head, 3 percent below last year.
The average live weight was 122 pounds, down 3 pounds from March a year ago.
January to March 2024 commercial red meat production was 13.7 billion pounds,
down 2 percent from 2023. Accumulated beef production was down 4 percent from
last year, veal was down 11 percent, pork was up slightly from last year, and
lamb and mutton production was up 1 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: March 2023 and 2024............ 7
Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: March 2023 and 2024.............. 8
Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: March 2023 and 2024............... 9
Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: March 2023 and 2024.... 10
Livestock Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection by Class - United States................ 11
#Table 17#.............................................................................
#pg#
#Table 10#.............................................................................
#pg#
#Table 11#.............................................................................
#pg#
#Table 12#.............................................................................
#pg#
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]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : March 2024 as % of : January to March
: March : February : March :----------------------------------------------------
Type : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : March : February : : :2024 as %
: : : : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ------- million pounds ------ --- percent -- million pounds percent
:
Beef .............: 2,405.3 2,168.6 2,110.4 88 97 6,823.7 6,559.8 96
Veal .............: 4.2 3.6 3.6 85 100 12.5 11.0 89
Pork .............: 2,488.4 2,371.2 2,250.0 90 95 7,071.5 7,094.0 100
Lamb and mutton ..: 13.0 10.9 12.3 95 113 33.4 33.8 101
:
Total red meat ...: 4,911.0 4,554.3 4,376.3 89 96 13,941.1 13,698.6 98
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States
[Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : March 2024 as % of : January to March
: March : February : March :----------------------------------------------------
Type : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : March : February : : :2024 as %
: : : : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ------- million pounds ------ --- percent -- million pounds percent
:
Beef .............: 2,367.5 2,135.0 2,076.4 88 97 6,714.3 6,457.5 96
Veal .............: 4.1 3.4 3.4 85 100 12.0 10.6 88
Pork .............: 2,478.3 2,361.4 2,240.7 90 95 7,042.1 7,064.5 100
Lamb and mutton ..: 11.7 9.8 11.1 95 113 30.2 30.5 101
:
Total red meat ...: 4,861.5 4,509.7 4,331.6 89 96 13,798.6 13,563.2 98
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Livestock Slaughter and Average Live Weight - United States
[Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : March : January to March
: March : February : March : 2024 as % :--------------------------------------------
Species : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : of 2023 : : : 2024 as %
: : : : : 2023 : 2024 : of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: percent percent
:
Cattle :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 2,883.8 2,564.7 2,461.1 85 8,156.8 7,706.1 94
Other ................1,000: 55.6 48.5 48.7 88 160.2 147.3 92
Commercial ...........1,000: 2,939.4 2,613.2 2,509.8 85 8,317.0 7,853.4 94
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 1,369 1,387 1,396 102 1,376 1,392 101
Other ...............pounds: 1,210 1,221 1,223 101 1,216 1,223 101
Commercial ..........pounds: 1,366 1,384 1,392 102 1,373 1,388 101
:
Calves :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 25.5 18.9 18.2 71 80.6 59.0 73
Other ................1,000: 0.8 0.8 0.7 91 2.3 2.2 96
Commercial ...........1,000: 26.3 19.6 18.9 72 82.9 61.2 74
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 274 309 320 117 257 306 119
Other ...............pounds: 361 373 381 106 358 369 103
Commercial ..........pounds: 277 312 323 116 260 309 119
:
Hogs :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 11,414.7 10,937.0 10,407.0 91 32,425.0 32,660.9 101
Other ................1,000: 50.6 48.6 48.8 97 146.3 149.2 102
Commercial ...........1,000: 11,465.2 10,985.6 10,455.8 91 32,571.3 32,810.1 101
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 292 290 290 99 292 291 100
Other ...............pounds: 276 279 265 96 276 272 98
Commercial ..........pounds: 292 290 289 99 292 291 100
:
Sheep and lambs :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 179.1 152.2 174.7 98 461.7 479.3 104
Other ................1,000: 27.4 19.6 24.7 90 65.3 63.6 97
Commercial ...........1,000: 206.5 171.9 199.3 97 527.0 542.9 103
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 129 127 125 97 129 125 97
Other ...............pounds: 101 104 100 99 100 101 100
Commercial ..........pounds: 125 124 122 97 125 122 98
:
Goats :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 47.7 42.8 48.2 101 126.9 136.2 107
Other ................1,000: 8.5 9.7 9.8 116 23.0 29.0 126
Commercial ...........1,000: 56.2 52.4 58.0 103 150.0 165.2 110
Average live weight :
Federally inspected .pounds: 65 64 62 95 65 63 96
Other ...............pounds: 89 84 83 94 87 82 94
Commercial ..........pounds: 69 68 66 96 69 66 97
:
Bison :
Number of head :
Federally inspected ..1,000: 7.4 6.7 6.9 93 20.0 21.2 106
Other ................1,000: 0.4 0.3 0.3 86 1.0 0.9 87
Commercial ...........1,000: 7.7 7.0 7.2 93 21.0 22.1 105
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States
[Includes total beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton. Totals and percentages based on
unrounded data]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State : March : February : March : March 2024 as
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : % of 2023
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ----------- million pounds ---------- percent
:
Alabama ...............: 1.5 1.2 1.4 96
Alaska ................: (Y) 0.1 (Y) (X)
Arizona ...............: 44.8 40.3 38.8 87
Arkansas ..............: 0.7 0.6 0.6 99
California ............: 122.9 96.1 97.2 79
Colorado ..............: 183.0 163.0 163.4 89
Delaware-Maryland .....: 2.9 2.7 2.6 88
Florida ...............: 8.2 5.4 5.7 70
Georgia ...............: 13.1 15.0 13.0 99
Hawaii ................: 0.8 0.8 0.7 84
:
Idaho .................: 35.8 42.0 42.3 118
Illinois ..............: 285.8 281.4 272.6 95
Indiana ...............: 165.0 151.9 152.5 92
Iowa ..................: 799.7 809.9 765.2 96
Kansas ................: 517.1 451.8 438.9 85
Kentucky ..............: 54.8 51.7 49.8 91
Louisiana .............: 0.4 0.4 0.4 89
Michigan ..............: 117.1 119.2 120.4 103
Minnesota .............: 278.6 237.4 222.0 80
Mississippi ...........: 0.9 0.8 0.9 101
:
Missouri ..............: 191.9 171.3 171.4 89
Montana ...............: 2.3 1.3 1.9 81
Nebraska ..............: 672.8 655.1 623.0 93
Nevada ................: 0.1 (Y) (Y) (X)
New England 1/ ........: 2.7 2.6 2.6 97
New Jersey ............: 4.5 3.9 4.3 96
New Mexico ............: 0.4 0.4 0.4 84
New York ..............: 3.7 2.9 3.3 90
North Carolina ........: 286.5 226.0 201.5 70
North Dakota ..........: 0.8 0.8 0.7 92
:
Ohio ..................: 24.5 24.1 25.1 102
Oklahoma ..............: 117.8 118.1 110.9 94
Oregon ................: 2.7 2.2 2.3 85
Pennsylvania ..........: 142.8 134.7 123.6 87
South Carolina ........: 17.3 17.2 16.1 93
South Dakota ..........: 128.9 123.6 119.3 93
Tennessee .............: 28.1 26.2 25.0 89
Texas .................: 407.9 352.3 339.3 83
Utah ..................: 48.6 44.6 45.4 93
Virginia ..............: 1.5 1.5 1.4 90
:
Washington ............: 84.9 75.1 75.6 89
West Virginia .........: 1.1 1.0 0.9 79
Wisconsin .............: 105.5 97.4 93.0 88
Wyoming ...............: 0.8 0.7 0.8 104
:
United States .........: 4,911.0 4,554.3 4,376.3 89
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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: March 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 ..........: 1.6 1.3 1,832 1,420 1,134 1,134
Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Arizona ..........: 50.7 43.3 72,098 62,112 1,423 1,435
Arkansas .........: 1.0 0.9 1,002 931 1,010 1,042
California .......: 145.6 109.2 192,321 147,380 1,330 1,360
Colorado .........: 207.8 176.8 286,429 254,824 1,379 1,443
Delaware-Maryland : 3.0 2.6 4,081 3,603 1,364 1,400
Florida ..........: 12.9 8.5 15,687 10,687 1,217 1,268
Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Hawaii ...........: 1.2 1.0 1,401 1,154 1,166 1,137
:
Idaho ............: 49.0 (D) 62,974 (D) 1,294 (D)
Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Indiana ..........: 4.5 3.9 5,384 4,748 1,210 1,204
Iowa .............: 51.7 44.9 73,110 64,574 1,414 1,438
Kansas ...........: 589.2 494.9 802,349 678,958 1,362 1,372
Kentucky .........: 6.4 5.8 6,918 6,744 1,095 1,160
Louisiana ........: 0.7 0.5 579 510 886 974
Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Minnesota ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Mississippi ......: 0.9 0.8 806 844 935 1,038
:
Missouri .........: 27.8 12.3 33,251 14,112 1,203 1,149
Montana ..........: 3.0 2.1 3,806 2,655 1,288 1,266
Nebraska .........: 598.8 535.2 857,408 785,602 1,433 1,469
Nevada ...........: 0.1 (Y) 77 (X) 1,187 (X)
New England 1/ ...: 3.0 2.7 3,588 3,341 1,197 1,226
New Jersey .......: 4.8 4.7 5,442 5,411 1,148 1,157
New Mexico .......: 0.5 0.5 603 520 1,163 996
New York .........: 4.0 3.7 4,842 4,670 1,210 1,265
North Carolina ...: 8.5 7.3 10,412 8,947 1,232 1,239
North Dakota .....: 1.0 0.9 1,201 1,110 1,230 1,264
:
Ohio .............: 6.9 6.3 9,216 8,334 1,331 1,328
Oklahoma .........: 6.3 5.8 7,340 6,799 1,172 1,193
Oregon ...........: 1.9 1.3 2,262 1,601 1,218 1,217
Pennsylvania .....: 100.9 85.3 130,224 110,990 1,297 1,306
South Carolina ...: 24.9 22.9 33,878 31,586 1,365 1,390
South Dakota .....: 37.7 39.3 53,170 58,842 1,418 1,503
Tennessee ........: 3.6 3.8 3,563 3,924 1,009 1,055
Texas ............: 508.3 416.7 670,974 554,595 1,324 1,334
Utah .............: 54.4 49.6 76,049 70,727 1,398 1,426
Virginia .........: 2.0 1.8 2,109 1,856 1,066 1,031
:
Washington .......: 100.5 85.7 139,840 122,260 1,395 1,429
West Virginia ....: 1.4 1.1 1,601 1,229 1,134 1,170
Wisconsin ........: 114.3 98.9 159,792 139,281 1,407 1,417
Wyoming ..........: 1.0 1.0 1,208 1,241 1,185 1,229
:
United States ....: 2,939.4 2,509.8 4,007,721 3,487,107 1,366 1,392
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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: March 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 0.1 111 45 476 466
Hawaii ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
:
Idaho ............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Illinois .........: 0.2 0.2 49 99 340 424
Indiana ..........: 0.7 0.5 332 203 453 416
Iowa .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Kansas ...........: (Y) 0.1 (X) 26 (X) 450
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 0.1 57 33 273 235
New Jersey .......: 1.6 1.3 602 503 381 382
New Mexico .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
New York .........: 4.3 (D) 412 (D) 97 (D)
North Carolina ...: 0.2 0.2 38 43 215 243
North Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
:
Ohio .............: 4.7 2.9 914 985 196 344
Oklahoma .........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
Oregon ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Pennsylvania .....: 6.8 7.6 2,912 3,323 429 439
South Carolina ...: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X)
South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Tennessee ........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Texas ............: 0.2 0.2 102 82 428 475
Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Virginia .........: 0.1 (D) 29 (D) 304 (D)
:
Washington .......: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X)
West Virginia ....: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
Wisconsin ........: 2.1 (Y) 957 (X) 464 (X)
Wyoming ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
:
United States ....: 26.3 18.9 7,235 6,063 277 323
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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: March 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 ..........: 1.7 2.2 654 920 391 411
Alaska ...........: 0.1 0.1 25 38 274 301
Arizona ..........: 0.1 (Y) 20 (X) 303 (X)
Arkansas .........: 0.4 0.7 108 180 263 267
California .......: 82.3 75.4 19,021 17,270 232 230
Colorado .........: 3.2 2.7 517 433 164 162
Delaware-Maryland : 1.8 1.5 505 450 285 293
Florida ..........: 4.8 4.5 702 632 145 141
Georgia ..........: 5.6 5.1 1,494 1,340 266 261
Hawaii ...........: 0.2 0.2 42 42 265 262
:
Idaho ............: 13.1 10.9 3,337 2,740 255 253
Illinois .........: 1,017.3 977.9 292,794 279,933 288 286
Indiana ..........: 770.4 716.2 215,333 199,478 280 279
Iowa .............: 3,546.4 3,379.8 1,021,985 981,404 288 290
Kansas ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Kentucky .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Louisiana ........: 0.4 0.4 87 87 241 208
Michigan .........: 334.8 382.4 99,235 111,475 296 292
Minnesota ........: 1,177.8 944.8 330,558 264,117 281 280
Mississippi ......: 3.4 3.3 608 587 179 180
:
Missouri .........: 787.4 748.3 233,397 219,195 297 293
Montana ..........: 1.1 1.3 326 352 293 281
Nebraska .........: 684.0 631.4 198,393 184,648 290 292
Nevada ...........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D)
New England 1/ ...: 1.9 1.9 559 577 292 299
New Jersey .......: 8.9 8.6 859 811 96 95
New Mexico .......: 0.2 0.2 54 49 258 252
New York .........: 2.7 1.8 707 436 260 247
North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
North Dakota .....: 0.2 0.2 57 61 320 280
:
Ohio .............: 86.7 89.5 24,906 26,123 288 292
Oklahoma .........: 504.5 471.0 149,864 140,142 297 298
Oregon ...........: 5.2 4.9 1,316 1,234 255 254
Pennsylvania .....: 298.4 260.5 86,243 74,294 289 285
South Carolina ...: 1.8 1.8 458 450 251 249
South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Tennessee ........: 89.5 75.9 39,251 34,424 439 454
Texas ............: 24.5 22.6 5,081 4,641 207 206
Utah .............: 2.4 1.8 664 532 284 292
Virginia .........: 1.0 0.9 328 300 316 329
:
Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
West Virginia ....: 0.8 0.6 239 184 295 306
Wisconsin ........: 69.9 65.8 29,694 28,072 426 428
Wyoming ..........: 0.2 0.2 61 66 246 301
:
United States ....: 11,465.2 10,455.8 3,342,118 3,025,549 292 289
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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: March 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) 0.1 (X) 6 (X) 78
Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Arizona ..........: 0.1 0.8 9 89 105 118
Arkansas .........: 0.1 0.1 10 8 99 80
California .......: 30.1 27.4 4,842 4,310 161 157
Colorado .........: 43.6 37.1 7,059 6,241 162 168
Delaware-Maryland : 2.4 1.9 203 194 85 103
Florida ..........: 3.4 3.2 177 167 52 52
Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Hawaii ...........: 0.1 0.1 16 10 146 146
:
Idaho ............: 0.1 0.1 19 21 127 146
Illinois .........: 6.0 6.7 539 530 89 79
Indiana ..........: 7.0 6.0 711 616 102 102
Iowa .............: 0.1 0.1 15 18 140 127
Kansas ...........: 0.5 0.5 43 46 96 97
Kentucky .........: 1.4 1.7 150 168 106 97
Louisiana ........: 1.0 1.1 58 64 58 60
Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Minnesota ........: 0.6 0.7 44 52 70 79
Mississippi ......: 0.2 0.3 10 20 66 70
:
Missouri .........: 0.8 1.3 62 105 75 83
Montana ..........: 0.3 0.3 38 45 142 143
Nebraska .........: (Y) 0.1 (X) 6 (X) 110
Nevada ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X)
New England 1/ ...: 4.4 5.4 420 510 95 94
New Jersey .......: 18.1 16.1 1,472 1,314 81 82
New Mexico .......: 0.5 0.4 63 53 122 140
New York .........: 6.8 7.4 577 662 85 90
North Carolina ...: 2.5 3.4 166 213 66 62
North Dakota .....: (Y) 0.1 (X) 7 (X) 145
:
Ohio .............: 4.5 5.4 741 827 163 153
Oklahoma .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Oregon ...........: 4.7 5.2 756 838 160 162
Pennsylvania .....: 11.9 13.0 1,138 1,265 95 97
South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
South Dakota .....: 0.2 0.1 21 18 131 126
Tennessee ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Texas ............: 25.5 26.3 2,800 2,659 110 101
Utah .............: 1.6 1.4 214 182 134 134
Virginia .........: 1.0 1.3 74 90 74 69
:
Washington .......: 1.1 0.9 151 122 133 134
West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
Wisconsin ........: 3.0 0.8 437 96 147 117
Wyoming ..........: 0.1 0.1 11 11 121 163
:
United States ....: 206.5 199.3 25,792 24,244 125 122
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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 March : : : : January to March
Class : March : February : March :-----------------------: March : February : March :-----------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: --------------------- 1,000 head -------------------- ----------------- percent of total ----------------
:
Cattle :
Steers ...........: 1,304.6 1,199.2 1,138.1 3,736.3 3,623.9 45.2 46.8 46.2 45.8 47.0
Heifers ..........: 942.9 812.4 819.4 2,564.4 2,466.0 32.7 31.7 33.3 31.4 32.0
All cows .........: 591.5 516.2 466.1 1,740.2 1,510.3 20.5 20.1 18.9 21.3 19.6
Dairy cows .......: 306.2 252.7 244.6 870.6 747.6 10.6 9.9 9.9 10.7 9.7
Other cows .......: 285.2 263.4 221.4 869.6 762.6 9.9 10.3 9.0 10.7 9.9
Bulls ............: 44.8 36.9 37.5 115.9 106.0 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4
:
Total ............: 2,883.8 2,564.7 2,461.1 8,156.8 7,706.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Calves and :
vealers ...... : 25.5 18.9 18.2 80.6 59.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Hogs :
Barrows and :
gilts ..........: 11,111.2 10,638.2 10,125.3 31,567.1 31,770.0 97.3 97.3 97.3 97.4 97.3
Sows .............: 274.1 274.1 259.8 780.8 819.9 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.5
Boars ............: 29.3 24.7 22.0 77.0 71.0 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
:
Total ............: 11,414.7 10,937.0 10,407.0 32,425.0 32,660.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Sheep :
Mature :
sheep ..........: 9.8 9.1 10.2 26.7 28.9 5.5 5.9 5.8 5.8 6.0
Lambs and :
yearlings ......: 169.2 143.2 164.5 434.9 450.4 94.5 94.1 94.2 94.2 94.0
:
Total ............: 179.1 152.2 174.7 461.7 479.3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federally Inspected Slaughter Average Dressed Weight by Class - United States
[Data may not add to totals due to rounding]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : January to March
Class : March : February : March :-----------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: pounds
:
Cattle ............... : 823 834 846 825 840
Steers 1/ ...............: 899 914 923 905 919
Heifers 1/ ..............: 829 834 847 830 839
All cows 1/ .............: 640 645 648 642 645
Bulls 1/ ................: 865 873 889 853 877
:
Calves and vealers ... : 160 183 190 150 181
:
Hogs ................. : 217 216 215 217 216
Barrows and gilts 2/ ....: 215 214 213 215 214
Sows 2/ .................: 298 299 298 296 297
Boars 2/ ................: 190 224 226 192 224
:
Sheep ................ : 65 65 63 65 64
Mature sheep 3/ .........: 64 65 64 63 65
Lambs and yearlings 3/ ..: 65 65 63 65 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: March 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 ............: 2.4 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1
2 ............: 8.4 2.1 2.3 3.8 3.0 0.7 0.2 3.0
3 ............: 87.6 35.1 4.2 42.9 32.3 10.6 5.4 7.8
4 ............: 70.5 5.0 2.4 55.0 14.2 40.8 8.2 0.4
5 ............: 241.5 116.1 (D) 88.2 56.3 31.8 (D) 3.5
6 ............: 417.6 185.3 138.2 85.0 33.8 51.2 9.1 (D)
7 ............:1,076.1 553.3 (D) 60.2 6.9 53.3 (D) 0.1
8 ............: 264.1 130.5 (D) 22.8 7.0 15.8 (D) (Y)
9 ............: 152.8 57.2 29.9 64.1 58.8 5.4 1.6 (D)
10 ...........: 140.2 52.6 42.3 43.7 32.1 11.6 1.6 (D)
:
United States :2,461.1 1,138.1 819.4 466.1 244.6 221.4 37.5 18.2
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Hogs : Sheep
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and
: :and gilts: Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 head
:
1 ............: 1.7 1.7 (Y) (Y) 5.3 0.2 5.1
2 ............: 10.3 10.3 (Y) (Y) 23.0 2.1 20.8
3 ............: 261.6 261.4 (D) (D) 17.3 1.9 15.4
4 ............: (D) (D) (D) (D) 11.9 1.0 11.0
5 ............: 3,156.3 3,044.3 107.4 4.5 27.9 1.6 26.3
6 ............: 489.6 489.5 0.1 0.1 18.3 0.5 17.8
7 ............: 4,771.1 4,683.3 75.2 12.6 1.4 (Y) 1.4
8 ............: (D) (D) 0.5 (Y) 38.2 0.8 37.4
9 ............: 71.6 71.6 (Y) (Y) 26.0 1.9 24.1
10 ...........: 17.1 17.0 0.1 (Y) 5.5 0.2 5.3
:
United States :10,407.0 10,125.3 259.8 22.0 174.7 10.2 164.5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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 March 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 ............: 7.7 3.1 2.2 1.6 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.5
2 ............: 23.5 6.1 6.5 10.2 8.6 1.7 0.7 10.3
3 ............: 274.4 108.1 12.3 138.9 105.1 33.8 15.1 23.5
4 ............: 217.5 13.9 7.1 173.4 46.1 127.3 23.1 1.2
5 ............: 753.3 349.3 (D) 287.5 175.3 112.1 (D) 11.5
6 ............:1,334.6 577.8 451.0 280.3 101.6 178.7 25.4 (D)
7 ............:3,385.9 1,810.0 (D) 206.5 20.7 185.9 (D) 0.2
8 ............: 812.1 415.5 (D) 71.9 20.3 51.6 (D) (Y)
9 ............: 469.9 182.2 79.7 203.3 176.0 27.4 4.6 (D)
10 ...........: 427.3 157.8 128.4 136.5 93.0 43.5 4.5 (D)
:
United States :7,706.1 3,623.9 2,466.0 1,510.3 747.6 762.6 106.0 59.0
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Hogs : Sheep
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and
: :and gilts : Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 head
:
1 ............: 5.8 5.7 0.1 (Y) 13.0 0.6 12.4
2 ............: 32.3 32.1 0.1 (Y) 59.9 5.9 53.9
3 ............: 867.6 866.8 (D) (D) 47.8 5.7 42.0
4 ............: (D) (D) (D) (D) 33.5 2.9 30.6
5 ............: 9,878.0 9,519.2 345.3 13.6 78.4 4.5 73.8
6 ............: 1,514.6 1,514.0 0.4 0.2 50.4 1.6 48.7
7 ............: 14,732.7 14,456.5 234.1 42.1 3.3 (Y) 3.3
8 ............: (D) (D) 1.2 0.1 109.1 2.3 106.7
9 ............: 225.8 225.7 0.1 (Y) 69.4 4.7 64.6
10 ...........: 53.6 53.4 0.1 (Y) 14.7 0.5 14.2
:
United States : 32,660.9 31,770.0 819.9 71.0 479.3 28.9 450.4
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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 March
Species : March : February : March :------------------------
: 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
:
Cattle .......: 98.1 98.1 98.1 98.1 98.1
Calves .......: 96.9 96.0 96.1 97.3 96.4
Hogs .........: 99.6 99.6 99.5 99.6 99.5
Sheep ........: 86.7 88.6 87.6 87.6 88.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 1,000 livestock slaughter plants in the United States
operating under Federal Inspection and nearly 1,850 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 Product ................................................................ (202) 690-3347
Anthony Fischer - Hogs and Pigs ............................................................ (202) 720-3106
Suzanne Richards - Sheep and Goats ......................................................... (202) 720-4448
Access to NASS Reports
For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following
ways:
All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web
site: www.nass.usda.gov
Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e-
mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit
www.nass.usda.gov and click on "National" or "State" in upper right
corner above "search" box to create an account and select the reports
you would like to receive.
Cornell's Mann Library has launched a new website housing NASS's and
other agency's archived reports. The new website,
https://usda.library.cornell.edu. All email subscriptions containing
reports will be sent from the new website,
https://usda.library.cornell.edu. To continue receiving the reports via
e-mail, you will have to go to the new website, create a new account
and re-subscribe to the reports. If you need instructions to set up an
account or subscribe, they are located at:
https://usda.library.cornell.edu/help. You should whitelist
notifications@usda-esmis.library.cornell.edu in your email client to
avoid the emails going into spam/junk folders.
For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural
Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail:
nass@usda.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against
its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race,
color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion,
reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial
or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's
income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic
information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded
by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs
and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination,
complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online
at www.ascr.usda.gov/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer,
or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may
also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form.
Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue,
S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at
program.intake@usda.gov.