March 15, 2021

Report found US livestock consume close to 284 million tonnes of food in 2019

The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) has released a new report that found US domestic livestock and pets consumed nearly 284 million tonnes of food in 2019.

The report also provides expert economic analysis on how the COVID-19 pandemic may impact the industry's growth over the next five years.

Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS), the economic and analysis firm that performed the study, found that in 2019, the industry's 5,836 manufacturing facilities produced at least 283.8 million tonnes of animal food. The top three animal food consumers included beef cattle at 64.5 million tonnes, hogs at 61.8 million tonnes and broiler chickens at 60.8 million tonnes.

Of the 61.8 million tonnes fed to US hogs in 2019, about 60% of this amount came from corn. Adding soybean meal and DDGs to corn's share represented nearly 80% of all feed tonnage provided by these three commodities to hogs in 2019. Other commodities comprising at least 1% of tonnage fed to hogs that year include wheat middlings and wheat bran, wheat, corn gluten feed, animal byproduct meals, other processed plant byproducts, fats and oils, grain sorghum and others.

DIS estimated the baseline consumption at the beginning of 2020 at 252.6 million tonnes (excluding forages and roughages) with an estimated value of US$66.7 billion, under normal production circumstances without the effects of the pandemic. With COVID-19, the projected consumption rate fell 1.7% to roughly 248.4 million tonnes, a difference of 4.2 million tonnes less feed consumed worth US$1.6 billion, leaving the industry with a total post-COVID-19 value of US$47.5 billion.

In a worst-case scenario, where the industry encounters further disruptions in processing and slaughter numbers or potential trade issues, DIS estimated 2025 animal food production could further decrease 4.5% to 237.2 million tonnes at a value of US$45.4 billion.

In an expected-case scenario, where the industry continues business as usual without any further major disruptions, DIS estimated that by 2025, animal food production could increase 2.5% to 254.6 million tonnes worth roughly US$48.8 billion.

In a best-case scenario, where the hotel, retail and institution sectors of the economy recover quickly and travel and trade conditions dramatically improve, DIS estimated that by 2025 feed production could increase 5.9% to 263.1 million tonnes, valued at US$50.4 billion.

- IFEEDER