USDA Livestock Slaughter Report for January (Text)
Following is the text of the U.S. Livestock Slaughter report for Jan. from the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Record Low Veal, Lamb and Mutton Production for January
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.04 billion pounds in January, up 3 percent from the 3.92 billion pounds produced in January 2010.
Beef production, at 2.12 billion pounds, was 2 percent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.74 million head, up 1 percent from January 2010. The average live weight was up 11 pounds from the previous year, at 1,301 pounds.
Veal production totaled 10.8 million pounds, 7 percent below January a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 71,800 head, 13 percent below January 2010. The average live weight was up 24 pounds from last year, at 262 pounds.
Pork production totaled 1.90 billion pounds, 5 percent above the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 9.10 million head, 2 percent above January 2010. The average live weight was up 6 pounds from the previous year, at 278 pounds.
Lamb and mutton production, at 11.2 million pounds, was 13 percent below January 2010. Sheep slaughter totaled 161,100 head, 14 percent below last year. The average live weight was 139 pounds, up 1 pound from January a year ago.
January 2010 contained 21 weekdays (including two holidays) and 5 Saturdays. January 2011 contained 21 weekdays (including one holiday) and 5 Saturdays.
Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States [Includes total beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton. Totals and percentages based on unrounded data] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --
State : January : December : January : January 2011 as
: 2010 : 2010 : 2011 : % of 2010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --
: ----------- million pounds ---------- percent
: Alabama ...............: 1.8 1.9 2.0 109 Alaska ................: - - - - Arizona ...............: 31.0 34.9 31.3 101 Arkansas ..............: 4.8 4.2 3.4 71 California ............: 137.8 156.4 142.9 104 Colorado ..............: 175.3 184.6 167.8 96 Delaware-Maryland .....: 3.2 3.1 3.0 96 Florida ...............: 8.9 8.9 8.6 96 Georgia ...............: 11.4 11.4 10.1 89 Hawaii ................: 0.8 0.9 0.9 108
: Idaho .................: 17.4 16.1 15.2 87 Illinois ..............: 216.5 239.6 218.4 101 Indiana ...............: 138.2 158.0 149.3 108 Iowa ..................: 546.3 595.0 556.5 102 Kansas ................: 433.9 461.4 438.8 101 Kentucky ..............: 45.3 55.1 48.0 106 Louisiana .............: 0.4 0.5 0.4 97 Michigan ..............: 40.6 47.0 43.5 107 Minnesota .............: 206.5 247.1 223.9 108 Mississippi ...........: 1.8 2.4 1.7 91
: Missouri ..............: 140.8 157.7 150.2 107 Montana ...............: 1.4 2.0 1.0 72 Nebraska ..............: 560.3 630.7 595.8 106 Nevada ................: 0.1 0.1 0.1 99 New England 1/ ........: 1.1 1.5 1.2 113 New Jersey ............: 3.9 4.6 4.4 113 New Mexico ............: 0.4 0.4 0.4 100 New York ..............: 2.8 2.8 2.6 91 North Carolina ........: 209.1 215.3 196.4 94 North Dakota ..........: 2.4 3.7 3.6 151
: Ohio ..................: 24.2 27.2 24.8 102 Oklahoma ..............: 89.6 105.5 99.8 111 Oregon ................: 4.5 5.0 5.1 114 Pennsylvania ..........: 102.1 118.3 105.0 103 South Carolina ........: 19.8 20.5 21.0 106 South Dakota ..........: 74.9 96.0 90.8 121 Tennessee .............: 17.4 18.4 14.7 84 Texas .................: 385.7 437.8 398.0 103 Utah ..................: 38.7 37.2 34.8 90 Virginia ..............: 35.4 42.7 40.6 114
: Washington ............: 65.6 72.0 67.7 103 West Virginia .........: 0.8 0.8 0.8 98 Wisconsin .............: 114.1 125.8 117.0 103 Wyoming ...............: 0.6 0.6 0.6 98
: United States .........: 3,917.6 4,355.1 4,041.8 103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --
#NAME? 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Commercial Cattle Slaughter - States and United States: January 2010 and 2011 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :----------------------------------------------------------------- ---
: 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ----
: Alabama ..........: 0.5 0.5 447 468 940 926 Alaska ...........: - - - - - - Arizona ..........: 43.6 42.6 56,239 54,560 1,294 1,284 Arkansas .........: 0.9 0.8 867 825 957 974 California .......: 138.0 146.5 176,681 185,612 1,301 1,290 Colorado .........: 204.3 193.4 270,328 260,905 1,324 1,350 Delaware-Maryland : 3.5 3.2 4,502 4,185 1,294 1,300 Florida ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Georgia ..........: 20.9 18.7 20,793 18,347 997 983 Hawaii ...........: 0.9 1.0 1,027 1,107 1,111 1,112
: Idaho ............: 24.2 21.2 29,934 25,359 1,255 1,221 Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Indiana ..........: 3.7 3.6 3,955 3,851 1,057 1,056 Iowa .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kansas ...........: 519.5 518.0 672,724 678,717 1,295 1,311 Kentucky .........: 1.8 1.5 1,814 1,522 982 988 Louisiana ........: 0.4 0.4 286 329 733 757 Michigan .........: 47.0 50.3 64,671 69,296 1,381 1,388 Minnesota ........: 73.4 73.1 102,084 103,590 1,397 1,426 Mississippi ......: 0.1 0.1 72 48 804 647
: Missouri .........: 7.2 6.7 8,627 7,920 1,196 1,189 Montana ..........: 1.7 1.3 2,102 1,475 1,202 1,181 Nebraska .........: 548.6 563.9 727,522 757,664 1,328 1,345 Nevada ...........: 0.1 0.1 92 84 1,036 987 New England 1/ ...: 1.3 1.5 1,360 1,447 1,023 993 New Jersey .......: 2.8 3.3 3,147 3,693 1,141 1,135 New Mexico .......: 0.6 0.5 600 617 1,115 1,204 New York .........: 2.7 2.6 3,191 3,067 1,181 1,190 North Carolina ...: 18.6 18.3 21,678 21,032 1,171 1,157 North Dakota .....: 1.4 2.5 1,674 3,346 1,231 1,341
: Ohio .............: 9.9 10.0 11,718 11,956 1,196 1,207 Oklahoma .........: 2.4 1.9 2,319 1,891 948 980 Oregon ...........: 3.4 3.8 3,982 4,508 1,218 1,225 Pennsylvania .....: 74.6 78.8 93,093 97,888 1,262 1,253 South Carolina ...: 12.2 16.1 13,232 17,912 1,100 1,121 South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: 3.8 4.4 3,171 3,688 852 855 Texas ............: 508.5 519.8 626,451 645,692 1,236 1,246 Utah .............: 48.2 43.6 62,925 56,454 1,308 1,297 Virginia .........: 1.1 1.3 1,154 1,366 1,055 1,030
: Washington .......: 82.2 85.7 108,339 111,385 1,324 1,306 West Virginia ....: 1.1 1.1 1,200 1,159 1,068 1,060 Wisconsin ........: 141.9 143.2 187,869 190,932 1,337 1,347 Wyoming ..........: 0.8 0.8 886 883 1,132 1,111
: United States ....: 2,707.2 2,735.2 3,480,603 3,544,876 1,290 1,301 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
#NAME? (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: January 2010 and 2011 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :----------------------------------------------------------------- ---
: 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: -- 1,000 head -- -- 1,000 pounds -- --- pounds ---
: Alabama ..........: (D) - (D) - (D) - Alaska ...........: - (D) - (D) - (D) Arizona ..........: - - - - - - Arkansas .........: - - - - - - California .......: 22.8 17.9 2,308 1,882 103 106 Colorado .........: - (D) - (D) - (D) Delaware-Maryland : 0.2 0.2 63 62 260 267 Florida ..........: 0.1 (D) 14 (D) 185 (D) Georgia ..........: - 0.1 - 28 - 458 Hawaii ...........: (D) - (D) - (D) -
: Idaho ............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Illinois .........: 2.3 1.7 1,076 718 459 434 Indiana ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Iowa .............: 0.1 - 14 - 279 - Kansas ...........: - - - - - - Kentucky .........: - - - - - - Louisiana ........: 0.5 0.4 256 211 536 521 Michigan .........: 1.5 1.6 667 654 438 411 Minnesota ........: - - - - - - Mississippi ......: 0.1 - 32 - 406 -
: Missouri .........: - 0.1 - 27 - 415 Montana ..........: (D) - (D) - (D) - Nebraska .........: (D) - (D) - (D) - Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: (D) 0.6 (D) 88 (D) 152 New Jersey .......: 5.5 5.7 2,319 2,417 425 421 New Mexico .......: - - - - - - New York .........: 13.4 9.7 1,282 947 99 103 North Carolina ...: 0.1 0.1 54 79 502 535 North Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
: Ohio .............: 11.3 10.7 2,380 2,274 215 238 Oklahoma .........: 0.1 0.1 32 24 496 452 Oregon ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Pennsylvania .....: 10.1 9.5 4,338 4,044 431 425 South Carolina ...: - - - - - - South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: - - - - - - Texas ............: 4.7 2.5 838 997 179 413 Utah .............: (D) - (D) - (D) - Virginia .........: 0.1 0.1 24 24 371 386
: Washington .......: (D) 2.5 (D) 196 (D) 78 West Virginia ....: - (D) - (D) - (D) Wisconsin ........: 7.8 7.6 3,424 3,412 438 449 Wyoming ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D)
: United States ....: 82.8 71.8 19,474 18,278 238 262 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
#NAME? (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: January 2010 and 2011 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :----------------------------------------------------------------- ---
: 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- --- pounds ---
: Alabama ..........: 6.4 7.2 2,851 3,092 445 432 Alaska ...........: 0.1 (D) 14 (D) 233 (D) Arizona ..........: 0.1 0.1 31 29 271 260 Arkansas .........: 14.3 9.7 6,572 4,483 459 460 California .......: 203.4 211.1 48,987 49,945 241 237 Colorado .........: 0.7 0.6 174 155 262 250 Delaware-Maryland : 1.5 1.8 388 469 266 268 Florida ..........: 5.5 5.3 878 812 159 154 Georgia ..........: 6.2 5.7 1,552 1,412 252 246 Hawaii ...........: 1.2 1.2 280 301 236 247
: Idaho ............: 9.0 9.8 2,259 2,487 252 255 Illinois .........: 747.8 754.9 207,061 213,824 277 283 Indiana ..........: 682.5 705.1 179,232 193,446 263 275 Iowa .............: 2,513.6 2,476.5 681,585 690,471 271 279 Kansas ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kentucky .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ........: 0.8 0.8 161 149 190 185 Michigan .........: 9.2 10.6 3,516 4,188 383 397 Minnesota ........: 764.2 829.7 202,117 224,806 265 272 Mississippi ......: 8.2 8.8 2,515 2,321 306 265
: Missouri .........: 648.1 677.4 180,595 193,287 279 286 Montana ..........: 1.0 0.8 265 211 262 268 Nebraska .........: 591.6 640.4 159,726 176,807 270 276 Nevada ...........: (D) - (D) - (D) - New England 1/ ...: 1.2 1.6 290 385 233 241 New Jersey .......: 6.8 10.5 700 1,018 103 97 New Mexico .......: 0.1 0.1 20 20 263 269 New York .........: 1.7 2.1 314 353 187 168 North Carolina ...: 994.0 908.7 261,564 245,691 263 271 North Dakota .....: 7.9 9.2 2,055 2,415 261 262
: Ohio .............: 83.5 85.2 22,437 23,178 270 272 Oklahoma .........: 416.8 453.1 116,490 129,417 280 286 Oregon ...........: 12.5 13.9 3,111 3,522 251 253 Pennsylvania .....: 233.0 230.5 61,081 60,821 263 264 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: 337.8 406.9 88,957 109,500 263 269 Tennessee ........: 50.2 40.7 23,398 19,063 467 469 Texas ............: 31.5 36.7 7,928 10,325 252 282 Utah .............: 4.2 5.1 724 698 174 138 Virginia .........: 172.1 194.1 45,787 52,236 266 269
: Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) West Virginia ....: 0.4 0.4 89 94 255 247 Wisconsin ........: 40.5 45.5 17,781 20,672 445 458 Wyoming ..........: 0.2 0.2 63 60 254 242
: United States ....: 8,909.7 9,103.7 2,417,827 2,529,725 272 278 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
#NAME? (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: January 2010 and 2011 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: Number slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight
State :----------------------------------------------------------------- ---
: 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
: --- 1,000 head -- -- 1,000 pounds -- --- pounds ---
: Alabama ..........: - - - - - - Alaska ...........: - - - - - - Arizona ..........: 0.2 0.1 20 18 102 125 Arkansas .........: - - - - - - California .......: 21.7 20.7 2,979 2,900 138 140 Colorado .........: 71.4 61.0 11,170 9,543 157 157 Delaware-Maryland : 3.2 3.4 320 339 99 99 Florida ..........: (D) - (D) - (D) - Georgia ..........: 0.5 0.2 26 16 57 67 Hawaii ...........: - - - - - -
: Idaho ............: 0.2 0.1 23 18 132 127 Illinois .........: 7.7 10.8 1,076 1,624 140 150 Indiana ..........: 2.6 2.2 292 246 111 111 Iowa .............: 28.4 16.0 4,304 2,421 152 152 Kansas ...........: 0.2 0.2 19 15 78 96 Kentucky .........: 0.7 0.7 89 83 120 125 Louisiana ........: 0.2 0.2 16 12 66 58 Michigan .........: 14.7 14.4 1,953 1,968 133 137 Minnesota ........: 0.7 1.2 77 168 118 137 Mississippi ......: - (D) - (D) - (D)
: Missouri .........: 0.3 0.2 31 29 113 122 Montana ..........: 0.2 0.2 17 21 110 106 Nebraska .........: 0.1 0.1 9 8 138 125 Nevada ...........: - - - - - - New England 1/ ...: 1.5 1.9 130 171 87 91 New Jersey .......: 9.7 7.9 787 677 81 86 New Mexico .......: 0.9 0.9 131 131 140 147 New York .........: 2.3 2.4 221 194 95 83 North Carolina ...: 0.6 0.9 51 73 82 78 North Dakota .....: 0.1 0.1 10 7 105 126
: Ohio .............: 0.6 0.4 62 41 103 107 Oklahoma .........: 0.1 0.1 8 14 85 112 Oregon ...........: 1.4 1.6 180 213 131 136 Pennsylvania .....: 2.1 2.3 212 229 100 100 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: 0.2 0.1 24 18 121 142 Tennessee ........: 0.9 0.6 74 53 85 83 Texas ............: 6.9 4.5 584 305 85 68 Utah .............: 2.7 2.2 361 311 134 140 Virginia .........: 1.0 0.6 96 58 94 97
: Washington .......: 0.7 0.6 115 101 159 162 West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 0.5 0.6 70 81 129 133 Wyoming ..........: 0.1 0.1 11 8 119 125
: United States ....: 186.6 161.1 25,705 22,301 138 139 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---
#NAME? (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Federally Inspected Slaughter, Average Dressed Weight, By Class - United States [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : January
Class : January : December : January :-----------------------
: 2010 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: pounds
: Cattle ............... : 775 784 782 775 782 Steers 1/ ...............: 838 854 849 838 849 Heifers 1/ ..............: 780 788 785 780 785 All cows 1/ .............: 610 605 613 610 613 Bulls 1/ ................: 859 863 861 859 861
: Calves and vealers ... : 140 153 153 140 153
: Hogs ................. : 204 208 209 204 209 Barrows and gilts 2/ ....: 201 205 206 201 206 Sows 2/ .................: 307 306 306 307 306 Boars 2/ ................: 199 208 213 199 213
: Sheep ................ : 71 70 71 71 71 Mature sheep 3/ .........: 64 65 68 64 68 Lambs and yearlings 3/ ..: 71 71 71 71 71 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: January 2011 [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 ............: 1.2 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.6 2 ............: 5.7 2.0 0.5 2.9 2.4 0.5 0.4 15.4 3 ............: 80.6 28.5 7.0 43.6 34.9 8.7 1.4 9.8 4 ............: 71.5 1.8 0.8 60.6 16.3 44.3 8.4 0.2 5 ............: 333.2 147.1 32.7 145.5 86.6 58.8 7.9 21.8 6 ............: 518.0 250.9 155.2 99.1 21.2 77.9 12.9 2.5 7 ............:1,127.7 590.6 468.4 (D) (D) (D) (D) 0.1 8 ............: 250.0 127.0 102.3 (D) (D) (D) (D) - 9 ............: 189.6 82.3 15.9 88.9 77.1 11.8 2.5 17.8 10 ...........: 109.7 51.2 25.6 30.6 16.5 14.2 2.3 2.6
: United States :2,687.2 1,281.8 808.5 554.0 263.9 290.1 43.0 70.8
#NAME? (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
:--------------------------------------------------------------------- -
: Hogs : Sheep
:--------------------------------------------------------------------- -
: Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and
: :and gilts: Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings
:--------------------------------------------------------------------- -
: 1,000 head
: 1 ............: 1.3 1.3 - - 1.8 0.2 1.6 2 ............: 12.5 12.4 (D) (D) 9.7 1.2 8.4 3 ............: 424.7 420.0 (D) (D) 7.1 0.3 6.8 4 ............: 1,240.0 1,181.3 57.1 1.6 2.7 0.6 2.1 5 ............: 2,403.1 2,290.4 107.5 5.1 27.0 2.7 24.3 6 ............: 492.6 475.1 17.5 - 1.7 0.4 1.3 7 ............: 3,807.9 3,738.0 54.7 15.2 16.3 - 16.2 8 ............: 420.4 420.2 0.3 - 63.0 3.5 59.5 9 ............: 207.9 207.8 0.1 - 19.6 0.4 19.2 10 ...........: 24.8 24.8 - - 1.6 0.1 1.5
: United States : 9,035.2 8,771.3 238.2 25.7 150.5 9.5 141.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -
#NAME? (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
Species : January : December : January :------------------------
: 2010 : 2010 : 2011 : 2010 : 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
: Cattle .......: 98.1 98.3 98.2 98.1 98.2 Calves .......: 98.6 98.6 98.6 98.6 98.6 Hogs .........: 99.2 99.1 99.2 99.2 99.2 Sheep ........: 92.8 92.0 93.4 92.8 93.4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 nearly 800 livestock slaughter plants in the United States operating under Federal Inspection and over 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 and 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.
To contact the reporter on this story: Terry Barrett in Washington at tbarrett1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Alex Tanzi at atanzi@bloomberg.net
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