Commercial Red Meat Production Down Slightly from Last December
- December 2023 contained 21 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 5 Saturdays.
- December 2024 contained 22 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays.
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.54 billion pounds in December, down slightly from the 4.55 billion pounds produced in December 2023.
- Beef production, at 2.20 billion pounds, was slightly above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.54 million head, down 2 percent from December 2023. The average live weight was up 30 pounds from the previous year, at 1,431 pounds.
- Veal production totaled 3.1 million pounds, 20 percent below December a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 16,100 head, down 28 percent from December 2023. The average live weight was up 36 pounds from last year, at 329 pounds.
- Pork production totaled 2.33 billion pounds, down 1 percent from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 10.7 million head, down 1 percent from December 2023. The average live weight was unchanged from the previous year, at 291 pounds.
- Lamb and mutton production, at 12.0 million pounds, was up 12 percent from December 2023. Sheep slaughter totaled 201,500 head, 9 percent above last year. The average live weight was 117 pounds, up 2 pounds from December a year ago.
January to December 2024 commercial red meat production was 55.0 billion pounds, up 1 percent from 2023.
Accumulated beef production was up slightly from last year, veal was down 16 percent, pork was up 2 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was up 2 percent.
