March 5, 2007

US total red meat output up in 2006
 

Total red meat production for the United States totalled 47.7 billion pounds in 2006, posting a 4 percent increase than the previous year.  Red meat-which includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton --totalled 47.5 billion pounds in commercial plants while farm production aggregates to 139 million pounds. 

Beef production totalled 26.3 billion pounds, up 6 percent from the previous year.  Veal production totalled 155 million pounds, down 6 percent from last year while pork production pegged at 21.1 billion pounds, 2 percent above the previous year.  Lamb and mutton production totalled 190 million pounds, down 1 percent from 2005.

Commercial cattle slaughter during 2006 totalled 33.7 million head, up 4 percent from 2005, with federal inspection comprising 98.4 percent of the total.  The average live weight was 1,275 pounds, up 19 pounds from a year ago.  Steers comprised 52.7 percent of the total federally inspected cattle slaughter, heifers 29.6 percent, dairy cows 7.1 percent, other cows 9.0 percent, and bulls 1.5 percent.

Commercial calf slaughter totalled 711,300 head, 3 percent lower than a year ago with 98.2 percent under federal inspection.  The average live weight was 345 pounds, down 8 pounds from a year earlier.

Commercial hog slaughter totalled 104.7 million head, 1 percent higher than 2005 with 99.0 percent of the hogs slaughtered under federal inspection.  The average live weight was unchanged from last year, at 269 pounds.  Barrows and gilts comprised 96.6 percent of the total federally inspected hog slaughter.

Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter, at 2.70 million head, was up slightly from the previous year with 94.4 percent comprised by federal inspection.  The average live weight was down 1 pound from 2005 to 137 pounds.  Lambs and yearlings comprised 95.4 percent of the total federally inspected sheep slaughter.

There were 793 plants slaughtering under federal inspection on January 1, 2007 compared with 806 last year.  Of these, 636 plants slaughtered at least one head of cattle during 2006 with the 14 largest plants slaughtering 56 percent of the total cattle killed.  Hogs were slaughtered at 614 plants, with the 10 largest plants accounting for 47 percent of the total.  Likewise, 5 of the 238 plants that slaughtered calves accounted for 54 percent of the total and 4 of the 484 plants that slaughtered sheep or lambs in 2006 comprised 68 percent of the total head. 

Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas accounted for 52 percent of the United States commercial red meat production in 2006, similar to 2005.