Livestock Slaughter ISSN: 0499-0544 Released January 21, 2016, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Record High Pork Production for December December 2014 contained 23 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. December 2015 contained 23 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.27 billion pounds in December, up 3 percent from the 4.14 billion pounds produced in December 2014. Beef production, at 2.05 billion pounds, was 2 percent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.45 million head, up slightly from December 2014. The average live weight was up 25 pounds from the previous year, at 1,388 pounds. Veal production totaled 7.8 million pounds, 2 percent above December a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 45,200 head, up 5 percent from December 2014. The average live weight was down 8 pounds from last year, at 295 pounds. Pork production totaled 2.21 billion pounds, up 4 percent from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 10.36 million head, up 5 percent from December 2014. The average live weight was down 1 pound from the previous year, at 285 pounds. Lamb and mutton production, at 13.2 million pounds, was down 1 percent from December 2014. Sheep slaughter totaled 199,600 head, slightly above last year. The average live weight was 132 pounds, down 2 pounds from December a year ago. January to December 2015 commercial red meat production was 48.4 billion pounds, up 2 percent from 2014. Accumulated beef production was down 2 percent from last year, veal was down 12 percent, pork was up 7 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 3 percent. This page intentionally left blank. Contents Commercial Red Meat Production - United States.......................................... 4 Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States................................. 4 Livestock Slaughter, Number of Head and Average Live Weight - United States............. 5 Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States............................... 6 Commercial Cattle Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015.......... 7 Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015............ 8 Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015............. 9 Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015.. 10 Livestock Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection, By Class - United States................ 11 Federally Inspected Slaughter, Average Dressed Weight, By Class - United States......... 11 Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: December 2015................ 12 Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: January to December 2015..... 13 Federally Inspected Slaughter, Percent of Total Commercial Slaughter - United States.... 13 Statistical Methodology................................................................. 14 Terms and Definitions Used for Livestock Slaughter Estimates............................ 15 Information Contacts.................................................................... 16 Commercial Red Meat Production - United States [Totals, accumulated totals and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : :December 2015 as % of : January to December : December : November : December :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : December : November : : :2015 as % : : : : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : of 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ --- percent --- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 2,000.2 1,934.1 2,045.5 102 106 24,250.5 23,689.5 98 Veal .............: 7.7 7.1 7.8 102 110 93.9 82.5 88 Pork .............: 2,114.3 2,080.2 2,207.1 104 106 22,843.3 24,499.3 107 Lamb and mutton ..: 13.4 11.8 13.2 99 112 155.6 150.2 97 : Total red meat ...: 4,135.5 4,033.1 4,273.6 103 106 47,343.3 48,421.4 102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States [Totals, accumulated totals and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : :December 2015 as % of : January to December : December : November : December :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : December : November : : :2015 as % : : : : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : of 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ --- percent --- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 1,973.4 1,911.1 2,020.1 102 106 23,933.6 23,394.6 98 Veal .............: 7.5 6.9 7.7 102 110 92.2 81.0 88 Pork .............: 2,103.1 2,068.9 2,194.5 104 106 22,709.8 24,355.3 107 Lamb and mutton ..: 12.6 10.9 12.3 98 113 145.0 138.9 96 : Total red meat ...: 4,096.6 3,997.8 4,234.6 103 106 46,880.6 47,969.9 102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Livestock Slaughter, Number of Head and Average Live Weight - United States [Totals, accumulated totals and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : December : January to December : December : November : December : 2015 as % :-------------------------------------------- Species : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : of 2014 : : : 2015 as % : : : : : 2014 : 2015 : of 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent : Cattle : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 2,397.9 2,258.2 2,412.6 101 29,684.1 28,295.1 95 Other ................1,000: 41.4 34.9 38.5 93 485.6 443.8 91 Commercial ...........1,000: 2,439.3 2,293.2 2,451.1 100 30,169.7 28,739.0 95 Live weight per head : Federally inspected .pounds: 1,367 1,396 1,391 102 1,333 1,364 102 Other ...............pounds: 1,145 1,157 1,168 102 1,147 1,162 101 Commercial ..........pounds: 1,363 1,393 1,388 102 1,330 1,361 102 : Calves : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 42.2 38.2 44.5 105 557.6 445.5 80 Other ................1,000: 0.8 0.6 0.7 86 8.2 7.0 84 Commercial ...........1,000: 43.0 38.8 45.2 105 565.8 452.4 80 Live weight per head : Federally inspected .pounds: 302 309 294 97 281 309 110 Other ...............pounds: 383 376 387 101 378 384 101 Commercial ..........pounds: 303 310 295 97 283 310 110 : Hogs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 9,787.9 9,700.0 10,291.7 105 106,122.5 114,615.5 108 Other ................1,000: 62.4 62.2 68.7 110 753.2 798.8 106 Commercial ...........1,000: 9,850.3 9,762.2 10,360.4 105 106,875.7 115,414.3 108 Live weight per head : Federally inspected .pounds: 287 286 285 100 285 283 99 Other ...............pounds: 245 252 251 102 243 247 102 Commercial ..........pounds: 286 285 285 100 285 283 99 : Sheep and lambs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 182.8 162.6 182.3 100 2,104.4 1,997.7 95 Other ................1,000: 16.7 18.5 17.3 104 205.1 218.9 107 Commercial ...........1,000: 199.5 181.1 199.6 100 2,309.5 2,216.6 96 Live weight per head : Federally inspected .pounds: 137 134 135 98 137 139 101 Other ...............pounds: 99 99 108 109 107 107 100 Commercial ..........pounds: 134 130 132 99 135 136 101 : Goats : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 47.4 36.2 41.7 88 486.5 441.3 91 Other ................1,000: 14.0 11.0 12.0 86 147.5 144.5 98 Commercial ...........1,000: 61.4 47.2 53.8 88 634.0 585.8 92 Live weight per head : Federally inspected .pounds: 62 62 61 99 63 62 98 Other ...............pounds: 82 73 88 108 75 81 107 Commercial ..........pounds: 66 64 67 101 66 67 101 : Bison : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 4.4 4.5 4.1 93 51.7 51.9 101 Other ................1,000: 0.7 0.7 0.7 95 8.6 8.7 101 Commercial ...........1,000: 5.1 5.2 4.8 93 60.3 60.6 101 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States [Includes total beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton. Totals and percentages based on unrounded data.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : December : November : December :December 2015 as : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : % of 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- million pounds ---------- percent : Alabama ...............: 0.7 0.9 0.7 96 Alaska ................: 0.1 0.1 0.1 100 Arizona ...............: 38.3 42.5 42.6 111 Arkansas ..............: 0.4 0.3 0.4 90 California ............: 117.5 110.9 122.1 104 Colorado ..............: 178.2 171.1 183.6 103 Delaware-Maryland .....: 2.7 3.0 3.3 120 Florida ...............: 7.7 7.4 8.5 110 Georgia ...............: 10.9 10.6 10.5 96 Hawaii ................: 0.8 0.6 0.7 87 : Idaho .................: 3.8 4.3 4.8 127 Illinois ..............: 272.1 275.1 295.9 109 Indiana ...............: 155.7 164.0 165.3 106 Iowa ..................: 605.9 577.6 606.3 100 Kansas ................: 414.7 391.0 422.4 102 Kentucky ..............: 47.4 49.5 53.4 113 Louisiana .............: 0.4 0.5 0.5 125 Michigan ..............: 40.3 36.5 40.9 102 Minnesota .............: 220.1 211.4 223.9 102 Mississippi ...........: 0.5 0.5 0.5 101 : Missouri ..............: 167.8 160.5 171.5 102 Montana ...............: 1.3 1.8 1.8 137 Nebraska ..............: 623.3 653.4 675.3 108 Nevada ................: 0.1 0.1 0.1 108 New England 1/ ........: 1.9 2.1 2.2 119 New Jersey ............: 3.9 3.6 4.1 105 New Mexico ............: 0.3 0.3 0.3 102 New York ..............: 3.1 3.1 3.4 110 North Carolina ........: 230.7 218.9 225.6 98 North Dakota ..........: 0.7 0.4 0.6 95 : Ohio ..................: 24.8 21.6 24.5 98 Oklahoma ..............: 101.1 88.0 100.2 99 Oregon ................: 6.4 6.2 6.3 99 Pennsylvania ..........: 119.3 115.4 128.4 108 South Carolina ........: 21.8 17.9 19.4 89 South Dakota ..........: 99.1 98.2 106.7 108 Tennessee .............: 26.0 24.9 24.2 93 Texas .................: 331.0 324.1 343.2 104 Utah ..................: 39.2 36.6 41.2 105 Virginia ..............: 47.9 40.4 44.0 92 : Washington ............: 71.0 72.6 75.7 107 West Virginia .........: 0.7 0.7 0.7 102 Wisconsin .............: 95.5 84.3 87.4 92 Wyoming ...............: 0.4 0.4 0.5 110 : United States .........: 4,135.5 4,033.1 4,273.6 103 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Commercial Cattle Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ---- : Alabama ..........: 0.4 0.3 413 316 1,004 1,050 Alaska ...........: 0.1 (Y) 66 (X) 974 (X) Arizona ..........: 47.1 49.9 63,827 70,731 1,359 1,421 Arkansas .........: 0.5 0.4 467 425 979 1,042 California .......: 106.7 105.0 139,198 142,486 1,316 1,368 Colorado .........: 194.3 197.1 273,221 282,027 1,407 1,432 Delaware-Maryland : 2.8 3.4 3,744 4,681 1,320 1,377 Florida ..........: (D) 13.4 (D) 16,799 (D) 1,262 Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Hawaii ...........: 0.9 0.8 1,020 857 1,104 1,136 : Idaho ............: 2.8 3.5 3,121 4,038 1,172 1,224 Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Indiana ..........: 3.0 3.0 3,181 3,323 1,058 1,106 Iowa .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kansas ...........: 467.2 470.3 642,382 654,992 1,375 1,393 Kentucky .........: 1.3 1.5 1,337 1,512 997 1,044 Louisiana ........: 0.5 0.4 389 375 842 929 Michigan .........: 44.7 44.2 61,681 61,948 1,387 1,412 Minnesota ........: 53.4 40.8 78,311 58,271 1,473 1,436 Mississippi ......: 0.1 0.2 127 123 858 806 : Missouri .........: 4.9 3.4 5,350 3,825 1,098 1,141 Montana ..........: 1.7 2.3 1,936 2,683 1,134 1,149 Nebraska .........: 546.4 589.1 786,569 862,133 1,441 1,465 Nevada ...........: 0.1 0.1 112 117 1,038 1,041 New England 1/ ...: 2.0 2.2 2,074 2,458 1,051 1,125 New Jersey .......: 2.7 2.6 2,892 2,891 1,093 1,109 New Mexico .......: 0.3 0.4 343 390 1,066 1,072 New York .........: 2.9 3.0 3,335 3,505 1,165 1,198 North Carolina ...: 5.1 4.7 6,176 5,658 1,220 1,211 North Dakota .....: 0.8 0.7 976 884 1,258 1,237 : Ohio .............: 8.5 7.0 9,893 8,225 1,177 1,187 Oklahoma .........: 1.9 2.2 1,919 2,284 1,007 1,022 Oregon ...........: 5.5 5.1 6,678 6,435 1,228 1,272 Pennsylvania .....: 85.6 85.2 104,249 105,484 1,221 1,242 South Carolina ...: 14.6 14.0 17,086 16,410 1,182 1,177 South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: 4.9 4.0 4,440 3,560 930 918 Texas ............: 413.2 421.4 537,506 556,234 1,305 1,323 Utah .............: 47.7 46.9 63,441 65,916 1,330 1,411 Virginia .........: 1.0 1.0 1,090 1,067 1,050 1,106 : Washington .......: 85.5 87.8 116,236 123,812 1,363 1,414 West Virginia ....: 0.9 0.9 911 949 966 1,008 Wisconsin ........: 107.6 102.0 147,563 141,700 1,379 1,397 Wyoming ..........: 0.6 0.6 614 665 1,041 1,039 : United States ....: 2,439.3 2,451.1 3,318,040 3,394,037 1,363 1,388 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. (X) Not applicable. (Y) Less than level of precision shown. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -- 1,000 head -- -- 1,000 pounds -- --- pounds --- : Alabama ..........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Arizona ..........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Arkansas .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) California .......: 7.2 10.4 776 1,009 109 98 Colorado .........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D) Delaware-Maryland : (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Florida ..........: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) Georgia ..........: 0.1 0.1 38 45 547 502 Hawaii ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Idaho ............: 0.1 (D) 26 (D) 444 (D) Illinois .........: 0.7 0.1 282 26 431 403 Indiana ..........: 0.5 0.4 124 119 276 268 Iowa .............: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) Kansas ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Kentucky .........: 0.1 (Y) 29 (X) 487 (X) Louisiana ........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Michigan .........: 0.1 0.1 35 43 297 298 Minnesota ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Mississippi ......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Missouri .........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Montana ..........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D) Nebraska .........: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 0.5 0.3 65 50 138 192 New Jersey .......: 5.3 5.8 2,295 2,520 430 434 New Mexico .......: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) New York .........: 5.2 3.7 651 532 128 146 North Carolina ...: 0.1 0.1 24 23 420 448 North Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Ohio .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Oklahoma .........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Oregon ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Pennsylvania .....: 7.7 7.9 3,290 3,436 429 437 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Texas ............: 0.2 0.6 95 312 478 501 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Virginia .........: (Y) 0.1 (X) 24 (X) 453 : Washington .......: (D) 0.8 (D) 57 (D) 72 West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 6.5 5.4 3,069 2,625 472 488 Wyoming ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : United States ....: 43.0 45.2 12,946 13,248 303 295 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. (X) Not applicable. (Y) Less than level of precision shown. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- --- pounds --- : Alabama ..........: 1.9 2.0 727 769 392 389 Alaska ...........: 0.1 0.1 21 34 271 257 Arizona ..........: 0.2 0.1 39 33 256 260 Arkansas .........: 0.9 0.7 224 181 260 275 California .......: 215.8 228.6 53,930 57,333 250 251 Colorado .........: 1.2 1.4 288 340 240 239 Delaware-Maryland : 1.8 1.8 462 462 256 253 Florida ..........: 5.8 3.9 806 591 140 153 Georgia ..........: 6.7 6.6 1,576 1,558 236 236 Hawaii ...........: 1.3 1.1 319 277 237 243 : Idaho ............: 10.9 13.4 2,845 3,515 262 262 Illinois .........: 949.2 1,051.3 273,300 304,162 288 289 Indiana ..........: 721.6 763.3 202,201 215,262 280 282 Iowa .............: 2,632.5 2,773.8 755,708 793,453 287 286 Kansas ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kentucky .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ........: 1.3 1.7 237 386 180 233 Michigan .........: 16.2 16.6 6,338 6,726 391 406 Minnesota ........: 863.7 952.7 238,833 260,444 277 273 Mississippi ......: 4.1 3.9 563 579 138 147 : Missouri .........: 750.4 772.4 218,441 225,457 291 292 Montana ..........: 1.2 1.6 264 370 221 229 Nebraska .........: 657.8 693.9 186,148 194,892 283 281 Nevada ...........: 0.1 0.1 19 21 255 259 New England 1/ ...: 2.8 3.3 653 874 230 269 New Jersey .......: 11.9 11.8 1,010 1,035 85 88 New Mexico .......: 0.2 0.2 47 51 296 250 New York .........: 3.4 4.6 734 1,104 216 243 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Dakota .....: 0.4 0.5 123 150 295 301 : Ohio .............: 88.4 88.8 24,801 25,280 281 285 Oklahoma .........: 470.0 473.6 131,318 130,917 279 276 Oregon ...........: 13.7 13.8 3,613 3,613 263 262 Pennsylvania .....: 280.9 309.6 75,764 86,368 270 279 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: 78.0 72.2 35,532 33,431 456 463 Texas ............: 25.7 28.9 6,387 7,161 248 248 Utah .............: 4.3 5.8 637 857 149 147 Virginia .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) West Virginia ....: 0.6 0.5 155 166 279 303 Wisconsin ........: 53.9 37.2 24,396 16,169 453 436 Wyoming ..........: 0.2 0.3 49 69 256 275 : United States ....: 9,850.3 10,360.4 2,818,905 2,951,033 286 285 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: December 2014 and 2015 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --- 1,000 head -- -- 1,000 pounds -- --- pounds --- : Alabama ..........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Arizona ..........: 0.3 0.3 37 39 118 122 Arkansas .........: 0.1 0.1 6 8 85 84 California .......: 23.6 24.2 3,225 3,376 137 139 Colorado .........: 81.0 80.9 12,561 12,604 155 156 Delaware-Maryland : 3.8 3.6 359 341 95 95 Florida ..........: 0.6 0.8 37 52 57 65 Georgia ..........: 0.6 1.0 43 61 70 60 Hawaii ...........: 0.1 0.2 9 25 137 142 : Idaho ............: 0.2 0.2 23 33 138 136 Illinois .........: 13.9 (D) 2,025 (D) 146 (D) Indiana ..........: 4.5 4.2 517 475 114 112 Iowa .............: 0.2 0.3 40 51 178 188 Kansas ...........: 0.5 0.5 47 43 92 89 Kentucky .........: 1.4 1.7 173 190 121 115 Louisiana ........: 0.3 0.4 18 32 59 79 Michigan .........: 18.7 18.1 2,603 2,457 139 136 Minnesota ........: 0.5 0.5 51 58 109 107 Mississippi ......: 0.3 0.3 24 18 69 60 : Missouri .........: 0.8 0.9 69 85 84 91 Montana ..........: 0.4 0.5 52 52 128 98 Nebraska .........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Nevada ...........: 0.1 0.1 8 16 129 135 New England 1/ ...: 3.3 3.2 303 300 93 93 New Jersey .......: 10.0 12.1 793 947 79 78 New Mexico .......: 0.9 0.8 129 119 146 145 New York .........: 6.3 6.9 638 693 101 101 North Carolina ...: 1.3 1.3 91 92 70 72 North Dakota .....: 0.1 0.1 9 8 138 117 : Ohio .............: 1.2 1.5 116 168 100 110 Oklahoma .........: 0.2 0.2 26 23 113 107 Oregon ...........: 3.2 3.0 447 418 141 138 Pennsylvania .....: 5.9 5.8 591 574 101 99 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: 0.2 0.2 34 38 157 158 Tennessee ........: 1.0 1.0 74 70 73 73 Texas ............: 8.3 7.8 760 796 92 103 Utah .............: (D) 2.1 (D) 289 (D) 140 Virginia .........: 0.5 0.5 46 43 91 87 : Washington .......: 1.0 1.2 136 159 135 132 West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 0.6 1.3 80 177 123 138 Wyoming ..........: 0.1 0.1 11 17 163 141 : United States ....: 199.5 199.6 26,675 26,402 134 132 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. (X) Not applicable. (Y) Less than level of precision shown. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Livestock Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection, By Class - United States [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January to December : : : : January to December Class : December : November : December :-----------------------: December : November : December :----------------------- : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------------------- 1,000 head --------------------- ----------------- percent of total ---------------- : Cattle : Steers ...........: 1,213.2 1,185.6 1,285.6 15,378.2 15,331.5 50.6 52.5 53.3 51.8 54.2 Heifers ..........: 675.2 604.4 633.1 8,377.8 7,350.8 28.2 26.8 26.2 28.2 26.0 All cows .........: 467.2 430.9 459.4 5,380.3 5,150.5 19.5 19.1 19.0 18.1 18.2 Dairy cows .......: 256.8 230.3 254.8 2,815.6 2,914.1 10.7 10.2 10.6 9.5 10.3 Other cows .......: 210.4 200.6 204.6 2,564.7 2,236.4 8.8 8.9 8.5 8.6 7.9 Bulls ............: 42.3 37.3 34.5 547.8 462.4 1.8 1.7 1.4 1.8 1.6 : Total ............: 2,397.9 2,258.2 2,412.6 29,684.1 28,295.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Calves and : vealers ...... : 42.2 38.2 44.5 557.6 445.5 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Hogs : Barrows and : gilts ..........: 9,501.4 9,463.2 10,021.0 102,997.7 111,487.9 97.1 97.6 97.4 97.1 97.3 Sows .............: 258.3 219.9 248.2 2,787.5 2,851.5 2.6 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.5 Boars ............: 28.1 16.9 22.5 337.3 276.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 : Total ............: 9,787.9 9,700.0 10,291.7 106,122.5 114,615.5 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Sheep : Mature : sheep ..........: 10.5 8.4 10.1 136.3 113.3 5.7 5.2 5.6 6.5 5.7 Lambs and : yearlings ......: 172.3 154.1 172.2 1,968.0 1,884.4 94.3 94.8 94.4 93.5 94.3 : Total ............: 182.8 162.6 182.3 2,104.4 1,997.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Federally Inspected Slaughter, Average Dressed Weight, By Class - United States [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January to December Class : December : November : December :----------------------- : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : pounds : Cattle ............... : 825 848 839 808 829 Steers 1/ ...............: 897 923 908 872 892 Heifers 1/ ..............: 824 850 841 800 818 All cows 1/ .............: 631 634 639 627 644 Bulls 1/ ................: 898 893 888 898 915 : Calves and vealers ... : 179 183 173 166 183 : Hogs ................. : 215 213 213 214 213 Barrows and gilts 2/ ....: 213 211 211 212 210 Sows 2/ .................: 303 310 310 305 309 Boars 2/ ................: 201 230 220 204 207 : Sheep ................ : 69 67 67 69 70 Mature sheep 3/ .........: 65 66 66 66 67 Lambs and yearlings 3/ ..: 69 67 68 69 70 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Included in cattle average dressed weight. 2/ Included in hog average dressed weight. 3/ Included in sheep average dressed weight. Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: December 2015 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Cattle : Calves Standard :----------------------------------------------------------------------- federal : : : : Cows : : regions 1/ : Total : Steers :Heifers :--------------------------: Bulls : Total : : : : All : Dairy : Other : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 1.8 0.9 0.5 (D) (D) (D) (D) 0.2 2 ............: 5.5 1.8 1.1 2.1 1.9 0.2 0.5 9.5 3 ............: 88.1 24.8 4.9 55.5 44.6 10.8 3.0 8.2 4 ............: 53.9 2.3 1.3 45.1 14.9 30.2 5.2 0.2 5 ............: 261.5 124.5 27.7 101.4 65.9 35.6 7.9 13.0 6 ............: 420.3 234.1 101.0 78.9 29.1 49.8 6.2 0.6 7 ............:1,072.0 632.5 376.6 55.7 1.6 54.1 7.2 (D) 8 ............: 258.8 152.5 85.1 (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 9 ............: 155.3 62.6 10.3 80.2 71.2 9.0 2.2 10.2 10 ...........: 95.4 49.6 24.7 20.5 16.6 3.9 0.7 2.6 : United States :2,412.6 1,285.6 633.1 459.4 254.8 204.6 34.5 44.5 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hogs : Sheep :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and : :and gilts: Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 2.9 2.8 (Y) (Y) 3.0 0.1 2.9 2 ............: 16.2 16.0 0.1 0.1 18.5 2.0 16.5 3 ............: 511.1 509.7 1.3 0.1 10.4 0.7 9.8 4 ............: (D) (D) (D) 5.6 6.0 1.1 4.9 5 ............: 2,880.8 2,770.0 107.2 3.7 30.4 3.1 27.3 6 ............: 498.0 498.0 0.1 (Y) 3.4 0.4 3.0 7 ............: 4,258.1 4,185.4 59.6 13.0 0.9 (Y) 0.8 8 ............: (D) (D) (D) (Y) 82.7 1.6 81.1 9 ............: 225.9 225.8 0.1 (Y) 23.5 0.8 22.7 10 ...........: 27.4 27.4 (Y) (Y) 3.5 0.3 3.1 : United States :10,291.7 10,021.0 248.2 22.5 182.3 10.1 172.2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. (Y) Less than level of precision shown. 1/ States included in regions are as follows: 1 - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; 2 - New Jersey, New York; 3 - Delaware-Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia; 4 - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee; 5 - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; 6 - Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas; 7 - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska; 8- Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; 9 - Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada; 10 - Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: January to December 2015 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Cattle : Calves Standard :----------------------------------------------------------------------- federal : : : : Cows : : regions 1/ : Total : Steers :Heifers :--------------------------: Bulls : Total : : : : All : Dairy : Other : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 19.6 8.4 5.1 (D) (D) (D) (D) 3.0 2 ............: 64.6 20.1 11.5 26.4 23.2 3.1 6.7 96.6 3 ............: 984.2 279.0 58.1 604.4 488.9 115.6 42.8 88.9 4 ............: 630.9 34.9 15.9 512.2 173.7 338.5 67.8 1.8 5 ............: 3,034.3 1,468.1 318.7 1,149.3 755.5 393.8 98.2 139.2 6 ............: 5,046.6 2,748.7 1,338.2 873.8 361.8 512.0 85.9 3.4 7 ............:12,658.1 7,598.0 4,306.2 658.7 38.7 620.0 95.2 (D) 8 ............: 3,025.9 1,913.1 896.2 (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) 9 ............: 1,733.9 672.5 131.8 898.9 792.1 106.8 30.6 94.4 10 ...........: 1,097.1 588.6 269.1 225.6 173.8 51.8 13.7 17.8 : United States :28,295.1 15,331.5 7,350.8 5,150.5 2,914.1 2,236.4 462.4 445.5 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hogs : Sheep :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and : :and gilts : Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 26.6 25.9 0.5 0.2 33.7 1.5 32.2 2 ............: 146.8 145.0 1.3 0.5 180.5 16.4 164.2 3 ............: 5,412.8 5,401.1 11.0 0.7 114.2 11.2 103.0 4 ............: (D) (D) (D) 26.1 67.1 13.0 54.1 5 ............: 32,214.2 30,831.1 1,336.1 47.0 355.5 32.2 323.3 6 ............: 5,889.1 5,886.4 2.0 0.7 38.1 5.3 32.9 7 ............: 48,062.2 47,193.5 668.4 200.3 9.6 0.3 9.3 8 ............: (D) (D) (D) 0.3 885.7 22.1 863.6 9 ............: 2,286.7 2,286.2 0.4 0.1 275.5 8.1 267.4 10 ...........: 307.8 307.4 0.4 0.1 37.7 3.1 34.6 : United States :114,615.5 111,487.9 2,851.5 276.1 1,997.7 113.3 1,884.4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ States included in regions are as follows: 1 - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; 2 - New Jersey, New York; 3 - Delaware-Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia; 4 - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee; 5 - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; 6 - Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas; 7 - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska; 8- Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; 9 - Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada; 10 - Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Federally Inspected Slaughter, Percent of Total Commercial Slaughter - United States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January to December Species : December : November : December :------------------------ : 2014 : 2015 : 2015 : 2014 : 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent : Cattle .......: 98.3 98.5 98.4 98.4 98.5 Calves .......: 98.2 98.5 98.6 98.5 98.5 Hogs .........: 99.4 99.4 99.3 99.3 99.3 Sheep ........: 91.6 89.8 91.3 91.1 90.1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Statistical Methodology Data Sources: Primary data for the Livestock Slaughter publication are obtained from electronic reports completed by inspectors from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA, which provide daily counts of animals slaughtered in Federally Inspected (FI) plants, in addition to total live and dressed weights. These counts are combined with data from State-administered Non-Federally Inspected (NFI) slaughter plants to derive total commercial slaughter estimates. There are approximately 800 livestock slaughter plants in the United States operating under Federal Inspection and nearly 1,900 Non-Federally Inspected (State-inspected or custom-exempt) slaughter plants. Slaughter from State- inspected Talmedge-Aiken plants is included in FI totals (see Terms and Definitions, page 15). To prevent duplication in reporting between FI and NFI plants and assure all FI plants are included, certificates prepared by FSIS identifying operating status are constantly monitored. Revision Policy: Number of head slaughtered, live weights, and dressed weights are subject to revision the following month after the monthly release. Annual totals are published in the slaughter summary each April which includes any revisions made to current and previous year's published data. Revisions are generally the result of late reports received from slaughter plants and are usually less than one-half of one percent. No revisions will be made to the previous year's data after the publication of the annual summary in April. Procedures and Reliability: The livestock slaughter data is obtained electronically on a daily basis and summarized approximately two weeks after the week of slaughter. A computer program compares each plant's data with the historical data for that plant. Data are checked for unusual values for head kill, patterns of kill, average weights, and dressing percent, based on each plant's past operating profile. In addition, the computer program provides a listing of missing reports for follow-up contact with FSIS. Average live and dressed weights and dressing percentages by State are compared with the previous weeks as an additional check. Fluctuations are frequently the result of plants permanently or temporarily closing and a shift in the species reported. The FSIS District Veterinary Medical Specialists (DVMS) are contacted by e- mail or telephone for missing or potentially erroneous slaughter data. This assures that plants slaughtering a large number of head or several species are accounted for each week. Any corrections FSIS makes to the slaughter data are included in the summary. Computer imputation may be necessary for incomplete reports. The imputation of live and dressed weights is based on the current week reported data of plants of similar size and location. Imputation for live and dressed weight data for cattle and hogs is less than 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively. The imputation for calves and sheep is more frequent and variable. If no data is received electronically or by other means, for plants slaughtering fewer than 50 total head weekly of only one species, data are imputed. The imputation of head for any plant is based on the historical data for that particular plant. The imputation of head slaughtered is rare but when necessary, the imputed head kill for missing plants usually is less than 1 percent of the United States head kill totals. FI data are summarized weekly and accumulated to a monthly total for this release. These weekly totals are published by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) in Livestock, Meat, Wool Market News, Weekly Summary, and statistics are also available on the NASS website. NFI data are summarized monthly only. Livestock slaughter estimates are based on a census of operating plants and therefore, have no sampling error. However, they may be subject to non- sampling errors such as omissions, duplications and mistakes in reporting, recording and processing the data. These errors are minimized through rigid quality controls in the computer edit program 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, as indicated with a (D), these data are still included in United States and region totals. A review of the data is made annually to determine the publishable data. Terms and Definitions Used for Livestock Slaughter Estimates Average Live Weight: The weight of the whole animal, before slaughter. Excludes post-mortem condemnations. Commercial Production: Includes slaughter and meat production in federally inspected and other plants, but excludes animals slaughtered on farms. Based on packers' dressed weights. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Number of Head: Includes post-mortem condemnations. Plant, Slaughter: An establishment where animals are killed and butchered. Red Meat: Red meat production is the carcass weight after slaughter excluding condemnation and is comprised of beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. The FI red meat production is equal to the total carcass weight after slaughter. 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. 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. Total Live Weight: The total weight of live animals, before slaughter. Excludes post-mortem condemnations. Wholesome Meat Act: Legislation that specifies that all meat produced for sale in the United States must be inspected. Meat that is transported interstate must be inspected in compliance with Federal (USDA) Standards. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov. Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch ........... (202) 720-3570 Scott Hollis, Head, Livestock Section ........... (202) 690-2424 Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter ...... (202) 720-3240 Doug Bounds - Hogs and Pigs .................. (202) 720-3106 David Colwell - Sheep and Goats .............. (202) 720-8784 Donnie Fike - Dairy Products ................. (202) 690-3236 Michael Klamm - Cattle, Cattle on Feed ....... (202) 720-3040 Mike Miller - Milk Production and Milk Cows .. (202) 720-3278 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the "Follow NASS" box under "Receive reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports you would like to receive. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.