USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture - April 21, 2006
Mt An 1-2 (4-06)
Livestock
Slaughter
National Agricultural Statistics Service
USDA
Washington, D.C.
Released April 21, 2006, by the National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of
Agriculture. For information on "Livestock Slaughter" call Katy
Paulsen at (515) 284-4340, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.
Red Meat Production at Record High for March
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled
4.11 billion pounds in March, up 6 percent from the 3.88 billion
pounds produced in March 2005.
Beef production, at 2.21 billion pounds, was 8 percent above the
previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.85 million head, up
5 percent from March 2005. The average live weight was up
36 pounds from the previous year, at 1,273 pounds.
Veal production totaled 13.3 million pounds, slightly above March a
year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 59,200 head, down 13 percent from
March 2005. The average live weight was 42 pounds above last year,
at 370 pounds.
Pork production totaled 1.87 billion pounds, up 4 percent from the
previous year. Hog kill totaled 9.23 million head, 3 percent above
March 2005. The average live weight was 1 pound above the previous
year, at 272 pounds.
Lamb and mutton production, at 18.2 million pounds, was down
6 percent from March 2005. Sheep slaughter totaled 249,700 head,
11 percent below last year. The average live weight was
145 pounds, up 6 pounds from March a year ago.
January to March 2006 commercial red meat production was
11.5 billion pounds, up 5 percent from 2005. Accumulated beef
production was up 6 percent from last year, veal was down
3 percent, pork was up 4 percent from last year, and lamb and
mutton production was up slightly.
March 2005 contained 23 weekdays (including no holidays) and 4
Saturdays.
March 2006 contained 23 weekdays (including no holidays) and 4
Saturdays.
Contents
Page
Red Meat Production, Commercial and FI, by Class, U.S...........1
Livestock Slaughter, Number and Average Weights,
by Species and Type of Slaughter, U.S......................2
Commercial Red Meat Production, by State and U.S................3
Commercial Cattle Slaughter, Number, Total and Average
Live Weight, by State and U.S..............................4
Commercial Calf Slaughter, Number, Total and Average
Live Weight, by State and U.S..............................5
Commercial Hog Slaughter, Number, Total and Average
Live Weight, by State and U.S..............................6
Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter, Number, Total
and Average Live Weight, by State and U.S..................7
Federally Inspected Classification of Number and
Average Dressed Weight, by Species and Class and U.S.......8
Federally Inspected Slaughter by Species and Class, by
Region and U.S.............................................9
Federally Inspected Percent of Total Commercial, by
Species, U.S..............................................11
Data Sources, Revision Policy, and Procedures and Reliability..18
Types of Plants................................................19
Terms and Definitions..........................................20
Commercial Red Meat Production: United States 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : Mar 06 % of : Jan - Mar 2/
: Mar : Feb : Mar :---------------------------------------
Class : 2005 : 2006 : 2006 : Mar : Feb : : :06 as %
: : : : 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006 : of 05
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
:---- Million Pounds --- Percent Million Pounds Percent
:
Beef :2,042 1,825 2,209 108 121 5,725 6,078 106
Veal : 13.3 11.7 13.3 100 114 38.6 37.5 97
Pork :1,804 1,633 1,871 104 115 5,138 5,321 104
Lamb & Mutton : 19.5 14.7 18.2 94 124 49.0 49.1 100
:
Total Red Meat :3,878 3,484 4,112 106 118 10,950 11,486 105
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Based on packers' dressed weights and excludes farm slaughter.
2/ Accumulated totals and percentages based on unrounded data.
Federally Inspected Red Meat Production: United States 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : Mar 06 % of : Jan - Mar 2/
: Mar : Feb : Mar :---------------------------------------
Class : 2005 : 2006 : 2006 : Mar : Feb : : :06 as %
: : : : 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006 : of 05
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
:---- Million Pounds --- Percent Million Pounds Percent
:
Beef :2,010 1,796 2,179 108 121 5,633 5,987 106
Veal : 12.9 11.4 13.0 100 114 37.6 36.6 97
Pork :1,788 1,620 1,856 104 115 5,095 5,279 104
Lamb & Mutton : 18.8 14.1 17.7 94 125 47.1 47.2 100
:
Total Red Meat :3,830 3,441 4,066 106 118 10,813 11,350 105
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Based on packers' dressed weights and excludes farm slaughter.
2/ Accumulated totals and percentages based on unrounded data.
Livestock Slaughter: Number and Average Weights, United States 1/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : :Mar 06 % of: Jan - Mar 2/
: : Mar : Feb : Mar :------------------------------------
Species : Unit : 2005 : 2006 : 2006 : Mar : Feb : : : 06 %
: : : : :2005 :2006 : 2005 : 2006 :of 05
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : Percent Prcnt
: :
Cattle No. : :
Fed. Insp. : Thou :2,675.4 *2,301.3 2,806.1 105 122 7,449.5 7,698.7 103
Other : Thou : 49.7 44.6 46.3 93 104 146.6 141.3 96
Comm'l. 3/ : Thou :2,725.1 2,345.9 2,852.4 105 122 7,596.1 7,840.1 103
: :
Live Wt/Hd : :
Fed. Insp. : Lbs :1,239 1,286 1,275 103 99 1,254 1,282 102
Other : Lbs :1,109 1,128 1,140 103 101 1,108 1,131 102
Comm'l. : Lbs :1,237 1,283 1,273 103 99 1,250 1,279 102
: :
Calves No. : :
Fed. Insp. : Thou : 66.5 51.9 57.9 87 112 193.3 164.3 85
Other : Thou : 1.5 1.1 1.3 84 117 4.3 3.5 83
Comm'l. 3/ : Thou : 68.0 53.0 59.2 87 112 197.5 167.9 85
: :
Live Wt/Hd : :
Fed. Insp. : Lbs : 327 361 368 112 102 327 366 112
Other : Lbs : 384 408 417 108 102 395 413 105
Comm'l. : Lbs : 328 362 370 113 102 328 367 112
: :
Hogs No. : :
Fed. Insp. : Thou :8,857.7 7,977.8 9,148.0 103 115 25,290.8 25,959.9 103
Other : Thou : 92.0 76.9 86.2 94 112 247.0 244.7 99
Comm'l. 3/ : Thou :8,949.7 8,054.7 9,234.1 103 115 25,537.8 26,204.6 103
: :
Live Wt/Hd : :
Fed. Insp. : Lbs : 271 272 272 100 100 270 273 101
Other : Lbs : 239 237 240 100 101 237 238 100
Comm'l. : Lbs : 271 272 272 100 100 270 272 101
: :
Sheep&Lambs : :
No. : :
Fed. Insp. : Thou : 268.1 *192.6 239.6 89 124 667.3 641.4 96
Other : Thou : 12.0 9.8 10.1 84 102 36.3 34.5 95
Comm'l. 3/ : Thou : 280.1 202.5 249.7 89 123 703.7 675.9 96
: :
Live Wt/Hd : :
Fed. Insp. : Lbs : 140 146 147 105 101 141 147 104
Other : Lbs : 113 117 111 98 94 107 112 105
Comm'l. : Lbs : 139 145 145 105 100 139 145 104
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Revised.
1/ Excludes slaughter on farms.
2/ Accumulated totals and percentages based on unrounded data.
3/ Totals may not equal sum of the parts due to rounding.
Commercial Red Meat Production: By State and United States 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : Mar 06 as % of 2/
State : Mar : Feb : Mar :-----------------------
: 2005 : 2006 : 2006 : Mar 2005 : Feb 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ----------- Million Pounds ---------- --- Percent ---
:
AL : 2.9 2.6 2.8 98 107
AK : 0.1
AZ : 30.0 27.6 35.4 118 128
AR : 4.9 4.2 5.1 102 122
CA : 126.2 *115.9 144.1 114 124
CO : 141.9 137.9 150.9 106 109
DE-MD : 3.3 2.9 3.5 104 120
FL : 4.7 *4.7 5.3 113 113
GA : 11.3 9.5 11.2 100 119
HI : 0.8 0.7 0.9 110 118
ID : 28.7 24.0 28.7 100 120
IL : 230.9 211.1 244.7 106 116
IN : 126.7 115.1 136.1 107 118
IA : 566.3 513.9 577.2 102 112
KS : 482.5 413.5 532.1 110 129
KY : 39.6 37.2 44.2 112 119
LA : 1.3 0.8 0.8 60 99
MI : 33.2 30.7 36.5 110 119
MN : 191.6 180.0 209.4 109 116
MS : 25.4 24.0 28.1 111 117
MO : 43.1 55.6 70.1 163 126
MT : 1.1 1.3 1.2 108 92
NE : 595.0 525.7 578.1 97 110
NV : 0.1 0.1 0.1 93 136
N ENG 3/ : 0.9 0.9 0.9 101 106
NJ : 4.1 3.8 4.3 103 114
NM : 0.6 0.5 0.4 73 91
NY : 3.0 2.6 3.3 111 127
NC : 201.6 *175.5 202.6 100 115
ND : 3.1 2.8 3.2 101 113
OH : 24.8 21.1 24.8 100 117
OK : 93.8 82.0 94.7 101 115
OR : 3.8 3.7 4.0 105 109
PA : 97.2 92.5 110.1 113 119
SC : 21.4 19.4 21.7 102 112
SD : 85.0 85.1 81.9 96 96
TN : 19.2 15.3 18.2 95 119
TX : 380.4 316.6 430.7 113 136
UT : 35.6 39.1 44.5 125 114
VA : 60.8 34.3 40.7 67 119
WA : 44.3 57.1 66.3 150 116
WV : 0.4 0.4 0.4 100 113
WI : 105.7 92.2 111.9 106 121
WY : 0.6 0.5 0.4 80 88
:
US : 3,878.1 *3,483.9 4,111.7 106 118
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Revised.
1/ Includes total beef, veal, pork, lamb and mutton.
2/ Percentages based on unrounded data.
3/ N ENG includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.
Commercial Cattle Slaughter: By State and United States,
March 2005 and 2006 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Number Slaughtered : Total Live Weight : Average Live Weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ---- 1,000 Head --- --- 1,000 Pounds --- ---- Pounds ----
:
AL : 0.6 0.5 600 427 933 946
AK : 0.1 69 1,156
AZ :
AR : 0.9 1.2 768 1,185 886 970
CA : 117.3 130.1 151,807 182,914 1,294 1,406
CO : 167.0 173.2 209,239 225,280 1,253 1,301
DE-MD : 3.8 3.9 4,981 5,118 1,295 1,329
FL :
GA : 19.4 19.7 16,664 16,734 861 850
HI : 0.8 1.0 855 1,032 1,067 1,080
ID : 35.6 33.2 45,766 42,082 1,285 1,267
IL :
IN : 3.3 3.0 3,474 3,132 1,044 1,044
IA :
KS : 626.6 662.5 755,621 823,676 1,206 1,243
KY : 1.7 1.5 1,492 1,380 885 931
LA : 1.4 0.7 1,258 550 896 805
MI : 37.1 40.4 50,544 55,842 1,364 1,384
MN : 53.8 56.0 77,566 80,734 1,442 1,441
MS : 0.1 96 852
MO : 7.8 7.2 10,049 9,550 1,290 1,324
MT : 1.4 1.5 1,589 1,724 1,165 1,159
NE : 595.9 557.5 762,854 735,190 1,280 1,319
NV : 0.1 0.1 119 125 1,206 1,209
N ENG 2/ : 1.0 1.0 1,062 1,045 1,039 1,042
NJ : 2.2 2.3 2,715 2,711 1,238 1,201
NM : 0.9 0.8 942 764 1,003 976
NY : 3.3 2.4 3,850 2,882 1,172 1,188
NC : 17.5 15.9 17,551 16,709 1,005 1,048
ND : 1.2 1.0 1,417 1,171 1,191 1,230
OH : 8.2 9.1 9,393 10,169 1,140 1,121
OK : 2.5 2.8 2,767 3,242 1,094 1,143
OR : 1.5 1.9 1,806 2,327 1,222 1,207
PA : 68.6 77.1 83,239 97,258 1,213 1,261
SC : 13.3 15,489 1,161
SD :
TN : 1.3 1.4 1,216 1,306 935 942
TX : 515.4 567.6 603,905 684,550 1,172 1,206
UT : 47.3 57.2 55,777 70,106 1,179 1,227
VA : 1.1 1.0 1,056 1,038 1,005 1,056
WA : 57.5 83.9 71,012 107,810 1,236 1,285
WV : 0.7 0.5 622 589 951 1,078
WI : 122.0 130.1 166,235 177,848 1,363 1,368
WY : 0.7 0.5 783 609 1,153 1,190
:
US 3/ : 2,725.1 2,852.4 3,369,749 3,630,357 1,237 1,273
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Includes slaughter under Federal inspection and other Commercial slaughter,
excludes farm slaughter.
2/ N ENG includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.
3/ States with no data printed are still included in the US total, data not
printed to avoid disclosing individual operations. Accumulated totals and
percentages based on unrounded data.
Commercial Calf Slaughter: By State and United States,
March 2005 and 2006 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Number Slaughtered : Total Live Weight : Average Live Weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: -- 1,000 Head -- -- 1,000 Pounds -- --- Pounds ---
:
AL :
AK :
AZ :
AR :
CA : 9.6 7.1 1,212 1,125 127 158
CO :
DE-MD : 0.1 0.2 22 50 298 323
FL :
GA : 0.1 0.1 54 57 543 446
HI :
ID :
IL : 7.1 3.6 3,054 1,528 432 426
IN : 0.2 0.2 27 30 143 125
IA :
KS :
KY :
LA : 0.3 0.4 173 202 502 494
MI : 1.9 3.0 788 1,130 414 372
MN :
MS :
MO :
MT :
NE :
NV :
N ENG 2/ : 0.6 0.3 84 71 152 265
NJ : 6.2 7.4 2,753 3,199 442 432
NM :
NY : 10.4 8.5 925 1,878 89 221
NC :
ND :
OH : 4.5 0.1 1,785 20 400 350
OK : 0.2 0.1 68 40 418 438
OR :
PA : 13.8 15.3 5,387 6,605 391 432
SC :
SD :
TN : 0.1 0.1 74 36 507 431
TX : 0.9 0.7 485 416 567 591
UT :
VA :
WA :
WV :
WI : 11.3 11.1 5,154 5,111 456 460
WY :
:
US 3/ : 68.0 59.2 22,300 21,886 328 370
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Includes slaughter under Federal inspection and other Commercial slaughter,
excludes farm slaughter.
2/ N ENG includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.
3/ States with no data printed are still included in the US total, data not
printed to avoid disclosing individual operations. Accumulated totals and
percentages based on unrounded data.
Commercial Hog Slaughter: By State and United States,
March 2005 and 2006 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Number Slaughtered : Total Live Weight : Average Live Weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ---- 1,000 Head --- --- 1,000 Pounds --- --- Pounds ---
:
AL : 9.4 9.6 4,412 4,461 467 467
AK :
AZ : 0.4 0.3 82 70 197 225
AR : 14.3 13.6 7,196 7,047 502 516
CA : 219.8 231.2 54,086 57,167 246 247
CO : 0.9 1.0 265 277 286 274
DE-MD : 1.3 1.3 328 341 255 261
FL : 7.3 7.5 1,058 1,053 146 141
GA : 11.0 10.7 2,601 2,497 237 234
HI : 2.0 1.8 416 395 206 221
ID : 12.3 14.1 4,031 4,637 328 329
IL : 808.4 855.1 224,670 241,468 278 282
IN : 615.8 664.1 164,721 176,914 267 266
IA : 2,573.7 2,626.7 701,934 718,609 273 274
KS : 25.1 10,119 403
KY : 191.9 214.2 51,531 57,783 269 270
LA : 2.5 1.9 519 396 209 210
MI : 9.9 9.6 3,704 3,641 374 381
MN : 764.9 837.5 203,593 222,594 266 266
MS :
MO :
MT : 1.0 1.0 255 258 261 249
NE : 629.5 611.0 169,835 165,215 270 270
NV :
N ENG 2/ : 1.3 1.1 251 255 200 222
NJ : 9.1 8.6 942 884 103 103
NM : 0.1 0.1 46 23 311 279
NY : 2.2 3.1 507 732 228 236
NC : 988.8 1,010.0 255,582 257,746 258 255
ND : 14.8 14.9 3,495 3,701 236 249
OH : 94.9 99.0 25,932 27,033 273 273
OK : 431.7 434.3 122,568 122,271 284 282
OR : 17.5 16.9 4,359 4,297 249 254
PA : 248.0 265.0 60,948 65,291 246 246
SC :
SD : 402.5 377.0 105,862 101,009 263 268
TN : 58.0 54.2 27,797 26,256 479 484
TX : 35.9 33.7 9,136 8,237 255 244
UT : 4.0 3.3 988 799 249 240
VA : 307.5 202.6 79,630 53,027 259 262
WA : 2.0 1.9 511 479 253 255
WV : 0.5 0.4 121 124 245 290
WI : 45.6 45.2 20,463 20,601 449 456
WY : 0.5 0.4 119 109 254 269
:
US 3/ : 8,949.7 9,234.1 2,423,674 2,510,925 271 272
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Includes slaughter under Federal inspection and other Commercial slaughter,
excludes farm slaughter.
2/ N ENG includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.
3/ States with no data printed are still included in the US total, data not
printed to avoid disclosing individual operations. Accumulated totals and
percentages based on unrounded data.
Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter: By State and United States,
March 2005 and 2006 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Number Slaughtered : Total Live Weight : Average Live Weight
State :--------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: --- 1,000 Head -- -- 1,000 Pounds -- --- Pounds ---
:
AL :
AK :
AZ : 0.2 0.1 30 15 129 106
AR : 0.1 8 122
CA :
CO : 109.6 101.9 16,985 16,155 155 159
DE-MD : 2.8 2.9 302 305 107 105
FL : 0.2 0.2 16 13 68 63
GA : 0.1 0.2 16 25 136 127
HI :
ID : 0.2 0.2 28 27 122 121
IL : 19.8 15.2 2,729 2,266 138 149
IN : 2.3 1.6 247 178 107 110
IA : 47.5 41.5 7,055 6,530 149 158
KS : 0.2 0.2 19 28 91 117
KY : 1.1 0.8 141 110 126 136
LA : 0.2 0.2 22 18 104 105
MI : 17.0 16.5 2,182 2,303 128 140
MN : 0.2 0.1 26 18 116 127
MS :
MO : 0.6 0.3 47 31 82 93
MT : 0.3 0.2 23 27 89 120
NE : 0.1 0.5 8 69 121 147
NV :
N ENG 2/ : 2.5 2.2 208 234 83 107
NJ : 11.0 7.8 832 644 76 83
NM : 1.8 0.8 223 98 125 122
NY : 5.8 2.5 427 203 74 81
NC : 0.4 0.4 29 33 79 88
ND :
OH : 0.9 0.8 88 79 103 104
OK : 0.1 0.2 7 20 126 130
OR : 2.0 1.5 300 221 148 148
PA : 6.6 4.2 629 412 95 98
SC :
SD : 1.0 1.3 123 172 122 128
TN : 0.7 0.9 63 70 88 75
TX : 2.6 10.9 333 1,467 129 134
UT : 3.0 2.8 400 386 135 140
VA : 1.0 0.9 94 91 95 101
WA : 0.2 0.1 25 7 116 133
WV :
WI : 0.6 0.6 83 89 129 140
WY : 0.1 0.1 12 14 137 127
:
US 3/ : 280.1 249.7 38,819 36,327 139 145
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ Includes slaughter under Federal inspection and other Commercial slaughter,
excludes farm slaughter.
2/ N ENG includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT.
3/ States with no data printed are still included in the US total, data not
printed to avoid disclosing individual operations. Accumulated totals and
percentages based on unrounded data.
Classification of Livestock Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection:
United States
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : :Jan - Mar 1/ : : : :Jan - Mar 1/
Item : Mar : Feb : Mar :-------------: Mar : Feb : Mar :------------
: 2005 :2006 :2006 : 2005 : 2006 :2005 :2006 :2006 : 2005 :2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
:---------- 1,000 Head ---------- ------ Percent of Total ------
:
Class 2/ :
Cattle :
Steers :1,367 1,166 1,458 3,722 3,945 51.1 50.7 52.0 50.0 51.2
Heifers : 871 733 878 2,389 2,390 32.6 31.9 31.3 32.1 31.0
All Cows : 396 365 428 1,215 1,240 14.8 15.8 15.3 16.3 16.1
Dairy Cows : 199 171 207 601 579 7.4 7.4 7.4 8.1 7.5
Other Cows : 197 194 221 614 661 7.4 8.4 7.9 8.2 8.6
Bulls & Stags : 42 37 43 124 123 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.6
:
Total 1/ :2,675 2,301 2,806 7,450 7,699 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Hogs :
Barrows & Gilts:8,556 7,720 8,836 24,450 25,107 96.6 96.8 96.6 96.7 96.7
Sows : 278 237 286 775 782 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0
Stags & Boars : 24 21 25 66 71 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
:
Total 1/ :8,858 7,978 9,148 25,291 25,960 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Sheep :
Mature Sheep : 11 8 9 30 26 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.5 4.1
Lambs & Yrlngs : 257 185 230 637 615 96.0 96.0 96.0 95.5 95.9
:
Total 1/ : 268 193 240 667 641 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
:
Average Dressed :
Weight 3/ :
: ----------- Pounds -----------
:
Cattle : 756 784 780 761 781
Steers 4/ : 797 828 823 807 827
Heifers 4/ : 740 774 768 748 770
All Cows 4/ : 629 *643 640 628 639
Bulls & Stags4/: 906 936 929 912 929
:
Calves & Vealers: 199 222 225 199 225
:
Hogs : 203 203 203 202 204
Barrow Gilts 5/: 199 200 200 199 200
Sows 5/ : 311 313 311 309 311
Stags & Boars5/: 208 221 217 210 218
:
Sheep : 70 73 74 71 74
Mature Sheep6/ : 68 68 68 68 68
Lamb & Yrlngs6/: 70 74 74 71 74
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Revised.
1/ Total and percentages based on unrounded data.
2/ Species totals and classification reported by meat inspectors,
Inspection Operations, FSIS.
3/ Based on packer reports.
4/ Included in cattle average dressed weight.
5/ Included in hog average dressed weight.
6/ Included in sheep average dressed weight.
Federally Inspected Slaughter: By Region and United States,
March 2006 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Cattle :Calves
Standard:----------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal : : : : Cows : :
Regions :Total 2/ : Steers :Heifers :--------------------------:Bulls &: Total
: : : : All : Dairy : Other : Stags :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 Head
:
1 : 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.3
2 : 4.6 1.6 0.3 2.5 2.3 0.1 0.2 15.9
3 : 79.6 36.3 6.6 34.5 28.7 5.7 2.3 15.5
4 : 57.6 1.2 0.4 47.9 11.2 36.8 8.0
5 : 299.4 128.7 38.3 124.0 69.4 54.7 8.4 17.9
6 : 566.8 313.8 175.4 67.4 11.3 56.1 10.2 0.6
7 : 1,266.2 722.3 486.0 50.5 1.5 49.0 7.5
8 : 239.2 107.4 116.4
9 : 174.0 86.7 6.4 77.0 69.5 7.6 3.8 6.9
10 : 117.9 60.2 47.5 9.7 7.5 2.2 0.6
:
US 2/ : 2,806.1 1,458.2 877.6 427.1 206.6 220.5 43.2 57.9
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Hogs : Sheep
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
:Total 2/ : Barrows : : Stags & :Total 2/ : Mature : Lambs &
: : & Gilts : Sows : Boars : : Sheep :Yearlings
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 Head
:
1 : 1.0 0.9
2 : 11.5 11.3 0.2 9.6 1.3 8.3
3 : 467.2 466.0 1.2 7.8 0.3 7.5
4 : 1,493.9 1,410.3 82.4 1.2 2.6 0.9 1.6
5 : 2,479.6 2,360.7 115.5 3.4 31.7 3.2 28.5
6 : 472.6 449.5 22.9 0.1 9.0 0.4 8.6
7 : 3,570.7 3,491.8 42.1 0.7 41.4
8 : 393.2 387.5 5.6 105.6 2.0 103.5
9 : 226.7 226.6
10 : 31.6 31.5 0.1 1.5 0.1 1.4
:
US 2/ : 9,148.0 8,836.2 286.4 25.4 239.6 9.5 230.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/ States included in regions are as follows: 1- CT, ME, NH, VT, MA, & RI; 2-
NY & NJ; 3- DE-MD, PA, WV, & VA; 4- AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, & TN; 5- IL,
IN, MI, MN, OH, & WI; 6- AR, LA, NM, OK, & TX; 7- IA, KS, MO, & NE; 8- CO,
MT, ND, SD, UT, & WY; 9- AZ, CA, HI & NV; 10- AK, ID, OR, & WA.
2/ Totals may not add due to rounding.
Federally Inspected Slaughter: By Region and United States,
January - March 2006 * 1/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Cattle :Calves
Standard:----------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal : : : : Cows : :
Regions :Total 2/ : Steers :Heifers :--------------------------:Bulls &: Total
: : : : All : Dairy : Other : Stags :
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 Head
:
1 : 2.7 1.0 0.6 0.8
2 : 13.6 4.7 0.9 7.3 7.0 0.3 0.7 45.3
3 : 214.4 92.0 98.6 80.2 18.4 43.2
4 : 165.1 3.3 1.1 139.0 33.7 105.3 21.7
5 : 842.9 350.1 101.9 368.4 191.0 177.4 22.4 50.7
6 : 1,476.7 794.8 454.6 195.8 33.7 162.1 31.4 1.7
7 : 3,502.0 1,968.3 1,361.1 148.9 4.6 144.3 23.6 0.1
8 : 683.8 327.4
9 : 475.2 232.3 18.2 214.7 192.1 22.5 10.0 19.9
10 : 322.4 171.0 121.8 28.1 21.5 6.6 1.5
:
US 2/ : 7,698.7 3,945.1 2,390.1 1,240.1 578.7 661.4 123.5 164.3
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: Hogs : Sheep
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
:Total 2/:Barrows : : Stags & :Total 2/ : Mature : Lambs &
: :& Gilts : Sows : Boars : : Sheep : Yearlings
:----------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 Head
:
1 : 3.0 2.9 0.1
2 : 31.9 31.3 0.5 0.1 26.6 3.1 23.5
3 : 1,295.0 1,291.7 3.2 0.1 21.9 1.1 20.9
4 : 4,257.9 4,017.2 235.7 5.0 7.7 2.7 5.1
5 : 6,925.2 6,606.5 309.1 9.6 90.2 9.3 80.9
6 : 1,328.5 1,265.7 62.4 0.4 25.7 0.8 24.9
7 :10,162.5 9,951.0 112.4 1.8 110.6
8 : 1,239.2 1,224.7 14.4 273.9 5.6 268.2
9 : 624.8 624.5
10 : 92.1 91.6 0.4 0.1 4.5 0.2 4.3
:
US 2/ :25,959.9 25,107.2 781.6 71.1 641.4 26.3 615.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Accumulated totals based on unrounded data.
1/ States included in regions are as follows: 1- CT, ME, NH, VT, MA, & RI;
2- NY & NJ; 3- DE-MD, PA, WV, & VA; 4- AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, & TN; 5-
IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, & WI; 6- AR, LA, NM, OK, & TX; 7- IA, KS, MO, & NE; 8-
CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, & WY; 9- AZ, CA, HI & NV; 10- AK, ID, OR, & WA.
2/ Totals may not add due to rounding.
Federally Inspected Slaughter: Percent of Total Commercial
Slaughter by Species, United States
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : Jan - Mar
Species : Mar : Feb : Mar :------------------------
: 2005 : 2006 : 2006 : 2005 : 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Percent
:
Cattle : 98.2 98.1 98.4 98.1 98.2
Calves : 97.8 98.0 97.9 97.8 97.9
Hogs : 99.0 99.0 99.1 99.0 99.1
Sheep : 95.7 95.1 96.0 94.8 94.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Livestock Slaughter Estimates
Data Sources: Primary data for the commercial livestock slaughter
estimates are obtained from the Weekly Livestock Slaughter Report
(LS-149) questionnaires completed by inspectors from the Food
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA, which provide actual
counts of animals slaughtered in Federally Inspected (FI) plants.
These counts are combined with data from State-administered
Non-Federally Inspected (NFI) slaughter plants to derive total
commercial slaughter estimates. Over 95 percent of the total U.S.
slaughter for any species is under FI. Number of head slaughtered
daily under FI are recorded on the LS-149 forms by species and
class. Head kill excluding animals condemned and total live and
dressed weights are also given.
There are 850 plants in the U.S. operating under Federal Inspection
and over 2,200 plants under State inspection. Slaughter from
State-inspected Talmedge-Aiken plants is included in FI totals (see
Types of Plants, page 20). To prevent duplication in reporting
between NFI and FI plants and assure all FI plants are included,
certificates prepared by FSIS identifying operating status are
constantly monitored.
Revision Policy: Revisions are generally the result of late or
corrected data and are less than one-half of 1 percent. Revisions
for the previous month and the year-to-date totals are noted in
each monthly release by an (*) or a footnote. Final data are
published in the annual summary.
Procedures and Reliability: Individual inspectors may be contacted
by telephone if the LS-149 is not received by NASS in time for
summarization. This assures that all plants slaughtering a large
number of head or several species are accounted for each week.
All head kill data are tabulated on a weekly basis approximately
two weeks after the kill week. A computer edit compares each
plant's data with the historical data for that plant. The edit
provides a missing reports listing for follow-up telephone contact
and imputes missing weight data. In addition, data are checked for
unusual values for species, class, head kill, and pattern of kill,
generally based on each plant's past operating profile.
If no form is received by mail or other means, data for plants
slaughtering fewer than 50 total head weekly of only one species
are imputed. Imputation of live and dressed weights may also be
necessary on partially completed forms for any plant. The
imputation is also based on the history of each respective plant
and represents the recent operating characteristics until final
data are tabulated. Imputed head kill for missing plants usually
is less than 1 percent of the U.S. head kill totals. Imputation
for live and dressed weight data for cattle is usually less than 10
percent and for hogs about 7 percent. The imputation for calves
and sheep is more frequent and variable.
Head kill for FI slaughter before condemnation is for the actual
days of the survey month, while head kill after condemnation and
live and dressed weight data are for full weeks only. Average live
and dressed weights and dressing percentages by State are compared
with the previous week as an additional check. Fluctuations are
frequently the result of plants permanently or temporarily closing
and a shift in the species reported.
FI data are summarized weekly and accumulated to a monthly total
for this release, while NFI data are summarized monthly only.
These weekly totals are published by USDA's Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) in Livestock, Meat, Wool Market News, Weekly Summary,
and Statistics.
Livestock slaughter estimates are based on a census of operating
plants and therefore, have no sampling error. However, they may be
subject to errors such as omissions, duplications and mistakes in
reporting, recording and processing the data. These errors are
minimized through rigid quality controls in the edit 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, these data are included in US totals.
A review of the data is made annually to determine the publishable
data.
Types of Plants
There are generally four types of slaughtering plants.
(1) 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.
(2) 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.
(3) 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.
(4) 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.
Terms and Definitions
Commercial Production: Includes slaughter and meat production in
federally inspected and other plants, but excludes animals
slaughtered on farms.
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.
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.
Live Weight: The gross weight of a live animal when received at
the slaughter plant.
Plant, Slaughter: An establishment where animals are killed and
butchered.
Red Meat: Red meat production is the carcass weight after
slaughter including beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. It is
derived using the number of head times average dressed weight for
FI and NFI separately. FI head kill must be adjusted for
condemnations using the factor derived from the FSIS inspection
reports.
The FI meat production formula is (FI head kill) X (1 -
condemnation factor) X (average dressed weight) = FI red meat
production. The condemnation factor is the number of animals
condemned as a percentage of the total kill. It has been fairly
stable for the last five years; running about 1.90 head per 100
head for calves, .5 per 100 for cattle, .40 per 100 for hogs and
.20 per 100 for sheep. 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.
Wholesome Meat Act: Legislation that specifies that all meat
produced for sale in the U.S. must be inspected. Meat that is
transported interstate must be inspected in compliance with Federal
(USDA) Standards.
