Commercial red meat production in the U.S. during March 2023 was 4.91 billion pounds, down 1% from March 2022.
The USDA says beef production fell 4% to 2.405 billion pounds following a 3% decline in the slaughter to 2.938 million head and an 18 pound drop in the average live weight to 1,366 pounds. The dairy cow slaughter was 306,100 head, up 36,900 on the month and 8,900 on the year, with the 2023 total at 870,400 head, 45,800 ahead of a year ago.