Livestock Slaughter ISSN: 0499-0544 Released February 19, 2026, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Commercial Red Meat Production Down 6 Percent from Last Year January 2025 contained 23 weekdays (including 2 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. January 2026 contained 22 weekdays (including 2 holidays) and 5 Saturdays. Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.58 billion pounds in January, down 6 percent from the 4.89 billion pounds produced in January 2025. Beef production, at 2.12 billion pounds, was 11 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.38 million head, down 12 percent from January 2025. The average live weight was up 25 pounds from the previous year, at 1,464 pounds. Veal production totaled 1.6 million pounds, 33 percent below January a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 8,500 head, 37 percent below January 2025. The average live weight was up 22 pounds from last year, at 334 pounds. Pork production totaled 2.45 billion pounds, 2 percent below the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 11.2 million head, 3 percent below January 2025. The average live weight was up 1 pound from the previous year, at 294 pounds. Lamb and mutton production, at 10.4 million pounds, was 4 percent below January 2025. Sheep slaughter totaled 172,600 head, 1 percent below last year. The average live weight was 118 pounds, down 5 pounds from January a year ago. This page intentionally left blank. Contents Commercial Red Meat Production - United States......................................... 4 Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States................................ 4 Livestock Slaughter and Average Live Weight - United States............................ 5 Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States.............................. 6 Commercial Cattle Slaughter - States and United States: January 2025 and 2026.......... 7 Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: January 2025 and 2026............ 8 Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: January 2025 and 2026............. 9 Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: January 2025 and 2026.. 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: January 2026................ 12 Federally Inspected Slaughter Percent of Total Commercial Slaughter - United States.... 12 Terms and Definitions Used for Livestock Slaughter Estimates........................... 13 Statistical Methodology................................................................ 14 Information Contacts................................................................... 15 Commercial Red Meat Production - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January 2026 as % of : January : January : December : January :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : January : December : : :2026 as % : : : : 2025 : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ -- percent -- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 2,370.1 2,298.3 2,118.5 89 92 2,370.1 2,118.5 89 Veal .............: 2.5 2.1 1.6 67 77 2.5 1.6 67 Pork .............: 2,501.8 2,516.4 2,449.5 98 97 2,501.8 2,449.5 98 Lamb and mutton ..: 10.9 12.4 10.4 96 84 10.9 10.4 96 : Total red meat ...: 4,885.2 4,829.3 4,580.1 94 95 4,885.2 4,580.1 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January 2026 as % of : January : January : December : January :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : January : December : : :2026 as % : : : : 2025 : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ -- percent -- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 2,335.6 2,267.3 2,086.3 89 92 2,335.6 2,086.3 89 Veal .............: 2.3 2.0 1.5 65 76 2.3 1.5 65 Pork .............: 2,492.5 2,508.3 2,441.2 98 97 2,492.5 2,441.2 98 Lamb and mutton ..: 9.7 11.1 9.3 96 83 9.7 9.3 96 : Total red meat ...: 4,840.1 4,788.8 4,538.3 94 95 4,840.1 4,538.3 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Livestock Slaughter and Average Live Weight - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January : January : January : December : January : 2026 as % :-------------------------------------------- Species : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 : : : 2026 as % : : : : : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent : Cattle : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 2,668.3 2,536.6 2,333.8 87 2,668.3 2,333.8 87 Other ................1,000: 48.3 43.4 44.8 93 48.3 44.8 93 Commercial ...........1,000: 2,716.6 2,580.0 2,378.6 88 2,716.6 2,378.6 88 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 1,443 1,467 1,468 102 1,443 1,468 102 Other ...............pounds: 1,245 1,244 1,260 101 1,245 1,260 101 Commercial ..........pounds: 1,439 1,463 1,464 102 1,439 1,464 102 : Calves : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 13.0 10.3 7.9 61 13.0 7.9 61 Other ................1,000: 0.6 0.6 0.6 99 0.6 0.6 99 Commercial ...........1,000: 13.6 11.0 8.5 63 13.6 8.5 63 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 309 330 330 107 309 330 107 Other ...............pounds: 381 401 396 104 381 396 104 Commercial ..........pounds: 312 334 334 107 312 334 107 : Hogs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 11,418.6 11,480.7 11,107.3 97 11,418.6 11,107.3 97 Other ................1,000: 48.6 43.0 43.1 89 48.6 43.1 89 Commercial ...........1,000: 11,467.1 11,523.7 11,150.4 97 11,467.1 11,150.4 97 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 293 293 295 101 293 295 101 Other ...............pounds: 263 258 264 100 263 264 100 Commercial ..........pounds: 293 293 294 101 293 294 101 : Sheep and lambs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 151.6 190.5 151.4 100 151.6 151.4 100 Other ................1,000: 21.9 26.8 21.2 97 21.9 21.2 97 Commercial ...........1,000: 173.5 217.3 172.6 99 173.5 172.6 99 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 125 115 120 96 125 120 96 Other ...............pounds: 108 95 105 97 108 105 97 Commercial ..........pounds: 123 113 118 96 123 118 96 : Goats : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 43.5 55.8 41.6 96 43.5 41.6 96 Other ................1,000: 9.5 11.9 8.8 93 9.5 8.8 93 Commercial ...........1,000: 53.0 67.7 50.4 95 53.0 50.4 95 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 64 64 64 100 64 64 100 Other ...............pounds: 83 82 84 101 83 84 101 Commercial ..........pounds: 68 67 68 100 68 68 100 : Bison : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 6.1 5.8 4.6 76 6.1 4.6 76 Other ................1,000: 0.4 0.3 0.3 82 0.4 0.3 82 Commercial ...........1,000: 6.5 6.1 4.9 77 6.5 4.9 77 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2026 as : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : % of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- million pounds ---------- percent : Alabama ...............: 0.9 1.1 1.0 106 Alaska ................: (Y) 0.1 0.1 (X) Arizona ...............: 44.8 41.1 39.8 89 Arkansas ..............: 0.5 0.5 0.5 91 California ............: 96.0 85.9 86.0 90 Colorado ..............: 196.4 185.7 185.9 95 Delaware-Maryland .....: 2.3 2.0 1.9 81 Florida ...............: 5.5 3.4 4.3 77 Georgia ...............: 7.9 9.4 10.0 127 Hawaii ................: 0.7 0.7 0.6 89 : Idaho .................: 50.4 49.9 47.0 93 Illinois ..............: 304.4 296.6 293.3 96 Indiana ...............: 185.0 182.0 177.3 96 Iowa ..................: 816.8 818.8 807.8 99 Kansas ................: 511.2 501.4 464.8 91 Kentucky ..............: 53.8 55.7 52.6 98 Louisiana .............: 0.3 0.3 0.4 128 Michigan ..............: 139.6 140.6 138.1 99 Minnesota .............: 245.2 244.2 240.1 98 Mississippi ...........: 0.8 0.8 0.7 89 : Missouri ..............: 183.4 195.6 194.6 106 Montana ...............: 1.3 2.6 1.3 101 Nebraska ..............: 715.3 709.0 622.5 87 Nevada ................: 0.1 0.1 0.1 128 New England 1/ ........: 2.8 2.6 2.3 83 New Jersey ............: 4.3 5.4 4.1 97 New Mexico ............: 0.5 0.4 0.5 96 New York ..............: 2.7 2.9 2.7 99 North Carolina ........: 237.4 246.5 226.8 96 North Dakota ..........: 0.9 0.6 0.9 97 : Ohio ..................: 26.3 27.0 24.2 92 Oklahoma ..............: 115.7 105.1 99.1 86 Oregon ................: 2.3 2.3 2.3 99 Pennsylvania ..........: 139.7 135.8 127.7 91 South Carolina ........: 15.3 12.8 11.7 76 South Dakota ..........: 133.8 131.0 127.2 95 Tennessee .............: 24.2 27.9 26.3 109 Texas .................: 381.9 371.3 333.6 87 Utah ..................: 48.3 51.7 47.9 99 Virginia ..............: 1.2 1.1 1.1 98 : Washington ............: 82.8 79.6 78.6 95 West Virginia .........: 0.9 0.8 0.6 66 Wisconsin .............: 100.5 96.1 91.2 91 Wyoming ...............: 1.0 0.8 0.8 83 : United States .........: 4,885.2 4,829.3 4,580.1 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (X) Not applicable. (Y) Less than level of precision shown. 1/ New England includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Commercial Cattle Slaughter - States and United States: January 2025 and 2026 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ---- : Alabama ..........: 0.7 0.6 759 691 1,136 1,202 Alaska ...........: 0.1 0.1 57 105 1,029 1,204 Arizona ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Arkansas .........: 0.7 0.6 767 681 1,082 1,115 California .......: 99.9 90.0 143,083 127,743 1,442 1,429 Colorado .........: 206.0 189.8 309,616 291,564 1,504 1,537 Delaware-Maryland : 2.3 1.9 3,205 2,565 1,396 1,385 Florida ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Hawaii ...........: 1.1 0.8 1,192 1,034 1,136 1,242 : Idaho ............: 61.6 56.6 85,670 77,950 1,400 1,385 Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Indiana ..........: 8.0 9.3 9,606 11,721 1,210 1,275 Iowa .............: 50.0 45.9 71,779 67,175 1,438 1,466 Kansas ...........: 544.0 480.8 787,930 713,238 1,449 1,484 Kentucky .........: 6.1 5.7 7,153 6,949 1,181 1,230 Louisiana ........: 0.4 0.5 397 521 1,012 1,049 Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Minnesota ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Mississippi ......: 0.5 0.4 479 436 1,060 1,079 : Missouri .........: 5.3 20.6 6,298 28,311 1,192 1,383 Montana ..........: 1.5 1.5 1,815 1,851 1,234 1,231 Nebraska .........: 591.9 484.3 891,635 743,411 1,508 1,537 Nevada ...........: (D) 0.1 (D) 114 (D) 1,144 New England 1/ ...: 3.1 2.5 3,776 3,118 1,223 1,257 New Jersey .......: 4.6 4.5 5,295 5,169 1,145 1,165 New Mexico .......: 0.6 0.6 662 632 1,079 1,135 New York .........: 2.8 2.8 3,608 3,551 1,282 1,288 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Dakota .....: 1.1 1.0 1,398 1,376 1,322 1,332 : Ohio .............: 6.8 6.3 9,036 8,455 1,326 1,347 Oklahoma .........: 6.7 7.4 8,174 9,259 1,238 1,257 Oregon ...........: 1.3 1.2 1,600 1,459 1,211 1,257 Pennsylvania .....: 94.7 82.0 127,625 110,930 1,352 1,356 South Carolina ...: 21.6 16.8 29,858 22,735 1,388 1,358 South Dakota .....: 41.2 (D) 62,038 (D) 1,513 (D) Tennessee ........: 3.1 2.9 3,154 2,869 1,030 1,025 Texas ............: 457.6 385.2 624,547 542,625 1,368 1,413 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Virginia .........: 1.4 1.3 1,513 1,484 1,045 1,144 : Washington .......: 91.4 84.0 134,663 126,143 1,476 1,505 West Virginia ....: 1.1 0.6 1,329 757 1,215 1,231 Wisconsin ........: 106.2 95.3 149,515 133,475 1,415 1,407 Wyoming ..........: 1.3 1.0 1,543 1,258 1,181 1,236 : United States ....: 2,716.6 2,378.6 3,902,488 3,476,036 1,439 1,464 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 2025 and 2026 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -- 1,000 head -- 1,000 pounds --- pounds --- : Alabama ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Alaska ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Arizona ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Arkansas .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) California .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Colorado .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Delaware-Maryland : (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Florida ..........: 0.2 0.1 64 57 416 387 Georgia ..........: 0.1 (D) 27 (D) 486 (D) Hawaii ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Idaho ............: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) Illinois .........: 0.3 0.2 122 81 406 411 Indiana ..........: (D) 0.4 (D) 160 (D) 394 Iowa .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kansas ...........: (Y) 0.1 (X) 25 (X) 435 Kentucky .........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Louisiana ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Minnesota ........: (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) (D) Mississippi ......: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) : Missouri .........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Montana ..........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Nebraska .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 0.1 0.1 21 16 210 265 New Jersey .......: 1.4 1.1 513 430 376 388 New Mexico .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New York .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Carolina ...: 0.1 0.1 46 21 347 327 North Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Ohio .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Oklahoma .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Oregon ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Pennsylvania .....: 5.1 (D) 2,165 (D) 423 (D) South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Texas ............: 0.1 0.1 44 28 476 478 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Virginia .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Wyoming ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : United States ....: 13.6 8.5 4,191 2,820 312 334 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: January 2025 and 2026 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- --- 1,000 pounds --- --- pounds --- : Alabama ..........: 1.8 2.1 749 888 423 433 Alaska ...........: 0.1 0.1 17 13 265 247 Arizona ..........: 0.1 0.1 23 20 286 271 Arkansas .........: 0.4 0.3 111 83 272 276 California .......: 89.1 78.7 20,476 18,792 230 239 Colorado .........: 3.3 2.3 502 410 151 175 Delaware-Maryland : 1.8 1.6 532 452 291 289 Florida ..........: 3.1 3.9 469 458 149 117 Georgia ..........: 5.1 5.2 1,319 1,342 259 260 Hawaii ...........: 0.1 0.2 40 57 300 275 : Idaho ............: 12.7 13.9 3,296 3,681 260 264 Illinois .........: 1,088.5 1,060.1 316,679 307,385 291 290 Indiana ..........: 828.5 778.9 239,356 227,157 289 292 Iowa .............: 3,547.0 3,486.6 1,041,236 1,030,701 294 296 Kansas ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kentucky .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ........: 0.2 0.2 43 44 221 224 Michigan .........: 433.4 436.8 129,790 128,974 299 295 Minnesota ........: 1,039.0 1,028.1 293,468 293,868 282 286 Mississippi ......: 4.0 3.4 693 604 173 179 : Missouri .........: 809.3 801.6 239,701 240,093 296 300 Montana ..........: 0.8 0.8 231 230 299 304 Nebraska .........: 743.0 723.4 217,389 211,740 293 293 Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 2.1 1.9 581 555 278 286 New Jersey .......: 10.4 7.6 1,051 770 101 102 New Mexico .......: 0.2 0.2 64 40 275 239 New York .........: 1.8 1.6 435 414 249 256 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Dakota .....: 0.3 0.3 95 72 307 269 : Ohio .............: 94.1 84.6 27,677 25,688 294 304 Oklahoma .........: 501.5 415.0 145,834 122,855 291 296 Oregon ...........: 5.5 5.6 1,429 1,465 260 264 Pennsylvania .....: 300.9 (D) 84,942 (D) 282 (D) South Carolina ...: 1.6 1.3 427 351 264 264 South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: 73.1 80.0 33,793 37,370 463 468 Texas ............: 23.9 20.4 4,606 3,932 193 193 Utah .............: 1.9 1.8 528 389 273 216 Virginia .........: 0.9 1.0 281 311 303 304 : Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) West Virginia ....: 0.4 0.5 125 142 288 309 Wisconsin ........: 74.1 68.2 30,974 29,609 419 435 Wyoming ..........: 0.3 0.3 73 74 278 290 : United States ....: 11,467.1 11,150.4 3,355,801 3,282,736 293 294 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 2025 and 2026 [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total live weight : Average live weight State :-------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --- 1,000 head -- -- 1,000 pounds -- --- pounds --- : Alabama ..........: 0.1 0.1 6 7 91 89 Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Arizona ..........: 0.7 (D) 77 (D) 107 (D) Arkansas .........: 0.1 0.1 6 11 96 109 California .......: 20.7 18.9 3,066 2,707 148 143 Colorado .........: 32.6 35.7 5,517 5,826 169 163 Delaware-Maryland : 1.4 1.3 136 127 98 99 Florida ..........: 2.8 2.1 143 106 51 51 Georgia ..........: 3.2 3.0 192 191 61 65 Hawaii ...........: 0.2 0.1 25 14 136 116 : Idaho ............: 0.2 0.2 33 24 141 148 Illinois .........: 5.7 5.6 512 464 89 83 Indiana ..........: 5.6 4.7 588 467 105 99 Iowa .............: 0.1 0.1 15 15 120 113 Kansas ...........: 0.2 0.2 21 18 109 85 Kentucky .........: 0.8 0.7 75 78 100 108 Louisiana ........: 0.6 0.6 36 35 58 60 Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Minnesota ........: 0.7 0.7 53 54 79 82 Mississippi ......: 0.2 0.1 14 9 64 70 : Missouri .........: 1.5 1.5 125 112 81 74 Montana ..........: 0.4 0.3 43 38 118 112 Nebraska .........: 0.1 0.1 8 8 131 125 Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 4.2 3.2 407 291 97 92 New Jersey .......: 13.3 15.1 1,094 1,328 82 88 New Mexico .......: 0.4 0.6 53 85 139 141 New York .........: 5.6 6.4 573 640 102 100 North Carolina ...: 5.3 7.1 332 452 63 63 North Dakota .....: 0.1 (Y) 9 (X) 129 (X) : Ohio .............: 5.3 3.6 810 532 154 148 Oklahoma .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Oregon ...........: 3.9 4.4 626 681 159 154 Pennsylvania .....: 11.4 10.0 1,170 1,013 103 102 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: 0.2 0.2 21 23 113 132 Tennessee ........: (D) 1.2 (D) 102 (D) 88 Texas ............: 22.6 18.8 2,513 1,480 111 79 Utah .............: 1.3 1.3 170 169 136 132 Virginia .........: 1.0 0.6 77 47 77 83 : Washington .......: 1.4 1.4 187 180 137 133 West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 0.7 0.7 87 67 118 91 Wyoming ..........: 0.1 0.1 14 19 127 142 : United States ....: 173.5 172.6 21,334 20,421 123 118 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 : : : : January Class : January : December : January :-----------------------: January : December : January :----------------------- : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------------------- 1,000 head -------------------- ----------------- percent of total ---------------- : Cattle : Steers ...........: 1,330.7 1,249.6 1,137.8 1,330.7 1,137.8 49.9 49.3 48.8 49.9 48.8 Heifers ..........: 839.5 808.8 741.2 839.5 741.2 31.5 31.9 31.8 31.5 31.8 All cows .........: 467.1 444.0 424.5 467.1 424.5 17.5 17.5 18.2 17.5 18.2 Dairy cows .......: 247.8 248.4 246.8 247.8 246.8 9.3 9.8 10.6 9.3 10.6 Other cows .......: 219.3 195.7 177.7 219.3 177.7 8.2 7.7 7.6 8.2 7.6 Bulls ............: 31.0 34.2 30.3 31.0 30.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 : Total ............: 2,668.3 2,536.6 2,333.8 2,668.3 2,333.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Calves and : vealers ...... : 13.0 10.3 7.9 13.0 7.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Hogs : Barrows and : gilts ..........: 11,124.0 11,198.5 10,841.3 11,124.0 10,841.3 97.4 97.5 97.6 97.4 97.6 Sows .............: 270.4 262.2 244.8 270.4 244.8 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.2 Boars ............: 24.2 20.0 21.2 24.2 21.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 : Total ............: 11,418.6 11,480.7 11,107.3 11,418.6 11,107.3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Sheep : Mature : sheep ..........: 9.3 12.8 10.6 9.3 10.6 6.1 6.7 7.0 6.1 7.0 Lambs and : yearlings ......: 142.4 177.7 140.8 142.4 140.8 93.9 93.3 93.0 93.9 93.0 : Total ............: 151.6 190.5 151.4 151.6 151.4 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Federally Inspected Slaughter Average Dressed Weight by Class - United States [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January Class : January : December : January :----------------------- : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : pounds : Cattle ............... : 877 896 896 877 896 Steers 1/ ...............: 955 983 985 955 985 Heifers 1/ ..............: 869 893 893 869 893 All cows 1/ .............: 667 650 658 667 658 Bulls 1/ ................: 894 909 927 894 927 : Calves and vealers ... : 182 194 194 182 194 : Hogs ................. : 218 219 220 218 220 Barrows and gilts 2/ ....: 216 217 218 216 218 Sows 2/ .................: 296 299 300 296 300 Boars 2/ ................: 222 227 225 222 225 : Sheep ................ : 64 58 61 64 61 Mature sheep 3/ .........: 65 63 64 65 64 Lambs and yearlings 3/ ..: 64 58 61 64 61 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 2026 [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 ............: 2.3 0.9 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.1 2 ............: 7.2 2.3 (D) 2.7 (D) (D) (D) 1.8 3 ............: 83.0 32.0 (D) 42.7 33.8 8.9 (D) (D) 4 ............: 54.0 5.5 2.0 41.7 13.8 27.9 4.8 0.2 5 ............: 237.4 115.1 30.4 (D) 61.5 (D) (D) (D) 6 ............: 387.5 156.3 142.9 79.2 33.7 45.5 9.0 (D) 7 ............:1,022.0 568.2 395.7 (D) (D) 41.4 (D) 0.1 8 ............: 264.9 147.5 105.3 (D) (D) (D) (D) (Y) 9 ............: 134.5 51.5 19.2 62.9 54.8 8.1 0.9 (D) 10 ...........: 141.2 58.4 39.2 42.3 32.5 9.8 1.3 (Y) : United States :2,333.8 1,137.8 741.2 424.5 246.8 177.7 30.3 7.9 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hogs : Sheep :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and : :and gilts: Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 1.8 1.7 (Y) (Y) 3.1 0.2 2.9 2 ............: 9.2 9.1 (Y) (Y) 21.0 2.7 18.3 3 ............: (D) (D) 0.2 (D) 12.6 1.1 11.5 4 ............: (D) (D) 82.3 (D) 12.1 0.8 11.2 5 ............: 3,439.5 3,345.2 88.6 5.6 27.1 1.4 25.8 6 ............: 431.9 431.7 0.1 0.1 14.5 1.2 13.3 7 ............: 5,028.0 4,942.8 73.4 11.8 1.7 0.1 1.6 8 ............: (D) (D) 0.1 (D) 36.9 (D) (D) 9 ............: 75.3 75.3 (Y) (Y) 17.9 (D) (D) 10 ...........: 20.6 20.5 (Y) (Y) 4.7 0.1 4.5 : United States :11,107.3 10,841.3 244.8 21.2 151.4 10.6 140.8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 Percent of Total Commercial Slaughter - United States -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January Species : January : December : January :------------------------ : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent : Cattle .......: 98.2 98.3 98.1 98.2 98.1 Calves .......: 95.7 94.1 93.1 95.7 93.1 Hogs .........: 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 Sheep ........: 87.4 87.7 87.7 87.4 87.7 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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 1,100 livestock slaughter plants in the United States operating under Federal Inspection and about 1,825 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 13). 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. 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@usda.gov. Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch................................................ (202) 692-0069 Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter............................................. (202) 690-8632 Tiffany Byrne - Dairy Products...................................................... (651) 440-7789 Ryan Cowen - Cattle, Cattle on Feed................................................. (202) 720-3040 Kim DaPra - Milk Production......................................................... (202) 720-3278 Fatema Haque - Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised................... (202) 720-3244 Derron Martin - Catfish, Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products, Trout................. (202) 690-3237 Ralph Mondesir - Hogs and Pigs...................................................... (202) 720-3106 Suzanne Richards - Cost of Pollination, Honey, Honey Bee Colonies, Sheep and Goats.. (202) 720-4448 Shulonda Shaw - Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses, Cold Storage................... (202) 720-3240 Autumn Stone - Layers, Eggs......................................................... (202) 690-3676 Takiyah Walker - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery................................. (202) 720-6147 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: www.nass.usda.gov. The national specific reports are available via a free e-mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit www.nass.usda.gov and click on "National" in upper right corner above "search" box to create an account and select the reports you would like to receive. 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