May red meat production up 14% on year

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May red meat production up 14% on year

The USDA says commercial red meat production during May 2021 was 4.296 billion pounds. That’s an increase of 14% from the COVID-19 impacted production total for May 2020 but is down from the May 2019 total of 4.57 billion pounds.

Beef production was 2.211 billion pounds, a jump of 19%, with an 18% gain in the slaughter to 2.699 million head cancelling out a seven-pound loss in the average live weight at 1,360 pounds.

The May dairy cow slaughter was 223,400 head, down 34,100 head from April, but up 10,000 head. The year-to-date slaughter of 1,325,600 head is 39,700 behind a year ago.

Pork production was 2.07 billion pounds, up 10%, with the slaughter 12% higher at 9.649 million head and the average live weight six pounds lower at 288 pounds.

Lamb and mutton and veal production for May were record monthly lows at 11.0 million and 3.7 million pounds, respectively.

Year to date commercial red meat production is 23.239 billion pounds, 5% ahead of the 2020 pace.

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