March 8, 2005

 

US pork production hits new record in 2004

 

 

In 2004, United States' production of red meat totaled 45.6 billion pounds, 2 per cent below last year. Red meat includes mutton, beef, veal, pork and lamb. Its production in commercial plants totaled 45.4 billion pounds. On farm production totaled 136 million pounds.

 

Beef production was 6 per cent below the previous year at 24.7 billion pounds. Veal production set a new record low totaling 176 million pounds, down 13 per cent from last year. Pork production set a new record high of 20.5 billion pounds, 3 per cent above last year. Lamb and mutton production totaled 199 million pounds, falling 3 per cent below the previous record low set a year ago.

 

Commercial cattle slaughter during 2004 totaled 32.7 million head, down 8 per cent from 2003, with federal inspection comprising 98.2 per cent of the total. The average live weight was 1,240 pounds, up 9 pounds from a year ago. Steers comprised 50.4 per cent of the total federally inspected slaughter, heifers 32.2 per cent, dairy cows 7.3 per cent, other cows 8.4 per cent, and bulls 1.7 per cent.

 

Commercial calf slaughter totaled 842,400 head, down 16 per cent from a year ago with 97.7 per cent under federal inspection. The average live weight was 330 pounds, up 12 pounds from a year earlier.

 

Commercial hog slaughter totaled 103 million head, up 3 per cent from 2003 with 98.9 per cent of the hogs slaughtered under federal inspection. The average live weight was up 1 pound from last year, at 267 pounds. Barrows and gilts comprised 96.6 per cent of the total federally inspected slaughter.

 

Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter, at 2.84 million head, was down 5 per cent from 2003 with 94.3 per cent comprised by federal inspection.

 

The average live weight was up 2 pounds from 2003 to 136 pounds.

 

There were 825 slaughtering plants under federal inspection on January 1, 2005 compared with 855 last year. Of these, 689 slaughtered at least one head of cattle during 2004 with 13 slaughtering almost 52 per cent of the total cattle killed. Hogs were slaughtered at 664 plants, with 13 accounting for slightly over 58 per cent of the total. Likewise, 13 of the 234 plants that slaughtered calves accounted for 83 per cent of the total and 4 of the 500 plants that slaughtered sheep or lambs in 2004 comprised about 60 per cent of the total head.

 

Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas accounted for almost 52 per cent of the United States commercial red meat production in 2004, similar to 2003.

 

Source: USDA