Livestock Slaughter ISSN: 0499-0544 Released May 21, 2026, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Record High Pork Production in April April 2025 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. April 2026 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.46 billion pounds in April, down 3 percent from the 4.60 billion pounds produced in April 2025. Beef production, at 2.10 billion pounds, was 6 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.34 million head, down 9 percent from April 2025. The average live weight was up 36 pounds from the previous year, at 1,467 pounds. Veal production totaled 1.5 million pounds, 29 percent below April a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 7,100 head, down 31 percent from April 2025. The average live weight was up 16 pounds from last year, at 371 pounds. Pork production totaled 2.35 billion pounds, up slightly from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 10.7 million head, down 1 percent from April 2025. The average live weight was up 2 pounds from the previous year, at 293 pounds. Lamb and mutton production, at 10.4 million pounds, was down 19 percent from April 2025. Sheep slaughter totaled 178,900 head, 13 percent below last year. The average live weight was 114 pounds, down 9 pounds from April a year ago. January to April 2026 commercial red meat production was 17.7 billion pounds, down 2 percent from 2025. Accumulated beef production was down 6 percent from last year, veal was down 25 percent, pork was up 1 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 7 percent. 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: April 2025 and 2026.......... 7 Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: April 2025 and 2026............ 8 Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: April 2025 and 2026............. 9 Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: April 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: April 2026................ 12 Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: January to April 2026..... 13 Federally Inspected Slaughter Percent of Total Commercial Slaughter - United States.. 13 Terms and Definitions Used for Livestock Slaughter Estimates......................... 14 Statistical Methodology.............................................................. 15 Information Contacts................................................................. 16 Commercial Red Meat Production - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : April 2026 as % of : January to April : April : March : April :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : April : March : : :2026 as % : : : : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ --- percent --- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 2,242.3 2,096.2 2,097.0 94 100 8,786.2 8,244.5 94 Veal .............: 2.1 1.7 1.5 71 88 8.7 6.6 75 Pork .............: 2,343.2 2,401.5 2,346.9 100 98 9,299.6 9,397.3 101 Lamb and mutton ..: 12.8 12.1 10.4 81 86 47.1 43.7 93 : Total red meat ...: 4,600.5 4,511.5 4,455.8 97 99 18,141.6 17,692.1 98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : April 2026 as % of : January to April : April : March : April :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : April : March : : :2026 as % : : : : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ --- percent --- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 2,209.5 2,063.4 2,064.2 93 100 8,653.6 8,116.8 94 Veal .............: 2.0 1.6 1.4 71 88 8.2 6.1 74 Pork .............: 2,334.5 2,393.0 2,339.1 100 98 9,264.1 9,365.0 101 Lamb and mutton ..: 11.4 11.1 9.4 83 85 42.0 39.6 94 : Total red meat ...: 4,557.4 4,469.2 4,414.1 97 99 17,967.9 17,527.6 98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Livestock Slaughter and Average Live Weight - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : April : January to April : April : March : April : 2026 as % :-------------------------------------------- Species : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : of 2025 : : : 2026 as % : : : : : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent : Cattle : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 2,526.0 2,291.4 2,296.4 91 9,910.8 9,050.4 91 Other ................1,000: 45.8 44.9 45.1 98 186.0 176.3 95 Commercial ...........1,000: 2,571.8 2,336.4 2,341.5 91 10,096.7 9,226.7 91 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 1,434 1,475 1,471 103 1,436 1,471 102 Other ...............pounds: 1,249 1,265 1,263 101 1,243 1,264 102 Commercial ..........pounds: 1,431 1,471 1,467 103 1,432 1,467 102 : Calves : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 9.8 7.9 6.7 68 43.6 30.1 69 Other ................1,000: 0.6 0.5 0.4 77 2.4 2.1 85 Commercial ...........1,000: 10.3 8.3 7.1 69 46.1 32.1 70 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 354 355 367 104 322 347 108 Other ...............pounds: 377 422 430 114 393 409 104 Commercial ..........pounds: 355 359 371 104 326 351 108 : Hogs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 10,760.4 10,970.4 10,704.2 99 42,666.7 42,831.1 100 Other ................1,000: 45.6 43.7 40.6 89 185.0 166.5 90 Commercial ...........1,000: 10,806.0 11,014.1 10,744.8 99 42,851.7 42,997.6 100 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 291 292 293 101 291 293 101 Other ...............pounds: 263 265 265 101 263 265 101 Commercial ..........pounds: 291 292 293 101 291 293 101 : Sheep and lambs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 177.5 178.5 160.0 90 652.7 647.6 99 Other ................1,000: 27.7 18.7 18.9 68 96.7 77.6 80 Commercial ...........1,000: 205.1 197.2 178.9 87 749.4 725.2 97 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 127 122 115 91 127 120 95 Other ...............pounds: 99 104 102 103 104 103 99 Commercial ..........pounds: 123 121 114 93 124 118 96 : Goats : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 42.3 47.0 38.8 92 174.0 169.0 97 Other ................1,000: 8.7 9.0 8.0 92 35.9 33.9 94 Commercial ...........1,000: 51.0 56.1 46.8 92 209.9 203.0 97 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 64 64 64 101 65 64 99 Other ...............pounds: 84 79 81 96 83 82 100 Commercial ..........pounds: 68 66 67 100 68 67 99 : Bison : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 5.5 4.8 5.1 92 22.6 18.5 82 Other ................1,000: 0.2 0.4 0.3 169 1.2 1.4 116 Commercial ...........1,000: 5.7 5.2 5.4 94 23.8 19.9 83 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States [Includes total beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton. Totals and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : April : March : April : April 2026 as : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : % of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- million pounds ---------- percent : Alabama ...............: 1.2 1.1 1.2 100 Alaska ................: (Y) 0.1 0.1 (X) Arizona ...............: 43.2 44.7 42.4 98 Arkansas ..............: 0.5 0.5 0.5 103 California ............: 85.8 82.1 78.5 92 Colorado ..............: 185.3 105.7 133.2 72 Delaware-Maryland .....: 2.1 1.9 1.8 83 Florida ...............: 4.5 4.6 4.7 106 Georgia ...............: 7.0 9.2 9.0 130 Hawaii ................: 0.7 0.7 0.7 98 : Idaho .................: 47.4 46.6 44.6 94 Illinois ..............: 283.2 280.0 275.0 97 Indiana ...............: 166.5 177.4 170.6 102 Iowa ..................: 758.1 783.7 763.7 101 Kansas ................: 486.9 478.9 480.2 99 Kentucky ..............: 53.3 54.0 53.8 101 Louisiana .............: 0.4 0.4 0.4 112 Michigan ..............: 127.3 140.9 136.4 107 Minnesota .............: 235.2 235.2 233.0 99 Mississippi ...........: 0.9 0.9 0.9 99 : Missouri ..............: 184.7 182.7 183.3 99 Montana ...............: 1.7 2.1 2.1 120 Nebraska ..............: 655.7 634.9 620.4 95 Nevada ................: 0.1 0.1 0.1 90 New England 1/ ........: 2.6 2.3 2.2 84 New Jersey ............: 4.0 4.9 4.3 107 New Mexico ............: 0.4 0.4 0.4 93 New York ..............: 2.6 3.0 2.8 110 North Carolina ........: 220.2 234.1 228.0 104 North Dakota ..........: 0.9 0.8 0.8 89 : Ohio ..................: 25.7 26.4 25.1 98 Oklahoma ..............: 115.7 108.7 109.0 94 Oregon ................: 2.4 2.3 2.2 93 Pennsylvania ..........: 130.6 132.5 130.4 100 South Carolina ........: 16.7 11.2 10.9 65 South Dakota ..........: 122.9 123.6 119.9 98 Tennessee .............: 25.2 27.8 24.0 95 Texas .................: 376.3 335.9 328.1 87 Utah ..................: 48.4 50.2 51.7 107 Virginia ..............: 1.3 1.3 1.2 95 : Washington ............: 76.7 82.0 83.2 108 West Virginia .........: 0.9 0.7 0.9 94 Wisconsin .............: 94.4 94.1 93.0 98 Wyoming ...............: 0.9 0.8 0.9 99 : United States .........: 4,600.5 4,511.5 4,455.8 97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: April 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 ..........: 1.0 1.1 1,191 1,226 1,136 1,115 Alaska ...........: 0.1 0.1 55 89 1,093 1,180 Arizona ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Arkansas .........: 0.7 0.7 772 749 1,093 1,115 California .......: 85.9 79.4 124,681 111,463 1,462 1,414 Colorado .........: 195.1 136.2 289,711 206,752 1,486 1,520 Delaware-Maryland : 2.2 1.7 3,021 2,439 1,400 1,423 Florida ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Hawaii ...........: 0.9 0.9 1,149 1,122 1,219 1,238 : Idaho ............: 56.8 52.5 79,913 72,890 1,415 1,399 Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Indiana ..........: 9.0 10.1 11,177 13,055 1,257 1,306 Iowa .............: 45.8 45.1 66,173 65,884 1,444 1,463 Kansas ...........: 526.4 498.4 747,869 739,169 1,421 1,483 Kentucky .........: 6.7 6.5 7,982 7,903 1,199 1,215 Louisiana ........: 0.5 0.5 482 594 1,046 1,098 Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Minnesota ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Mississippi ......: 0.7 0.7 698 732 1,070 1,043 : Missouri .........: 6.9 21.6 8,501 29,938 1,237 1,397 Montana ..........: 2.0 2.4 2,493 3,006 1,267 1,274 Nebraska .........: 541.6 489.1 808,341 750,037 1,494 1,535 Nevada ...........: (D) 0.1 (D) 124 (D) 1,177 New England 1/ ...: 2.7 2.4 3,377 2,994 1,250 1,273 New Jersey .......: 4.2 4.3 4,800 4,991 1,161 1,167 New Mexico .......: 0.5 0.5 595 533 1,144 1,050 New York .........: 2.5 2.8 3,211 3,648 1,291 1,291 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Dakota .....: 1.1 0.9 1,381 1,240 1,282 1,315 : Ohio .............: 6.7 6.2 9,053 8,213 1,343 1,333 Oklahoma .........: 7.2 7.4 8,880 9,150 1,247 1,245 Oregon ...........: 1.3 1.2 1,610 1,481 1,260 1,253 Pennsylvania .....: 89.8 87.9 120,930 120,208 1,351 1,371 South Carolina ...: 22.8 15.5 32,591 21,071 1,434 1,364 South Dakota .....: 31.3 (D) 49,537 (D) 1,582 (D) Tennessee ........: 3.1 3.4 3,277 3,574 1,070 1,058 Texas ............: 448.0 370.8 611,457 529,878 1,369 1,433 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Virginia .........: 1.6 1.4 1,645 1,580 1,058 1,139 : Washington .......: 83.8 90.3 122,290 133,133 1,463 1,478 West Virginia ....: 1.0 1.0 1,262 1,259 1,207 1,310 Wisconsin ........: 100.5 95.6 141,502 135,075 1,415 1,420 Wyoming ..........: 1.0 1.0 1,310 1,303 1,276 1,303 : United States ....: 2,571.8 2,341.5 3,671,651 3,426,834 1,431 1,467 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: April 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 ..........: 0.1 0.1 51 17 400 338 Georgia ..........: 0.1 (D) 36 (D) 478 (D) Hawaii ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Idaho ............: (D) 0.1 (D) 31 (D) 434 Illinois .........: 0.2 0.1 80 59 428 420 Indiana ..........: (D) 0.3 (D) 132 (D) 416 Iowa .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kansas ...........: 0.1 (Y) 23 (X) 433 (X) 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 14 201 258 New Jersey .......: 1.4 1.0 564 406 390 388 New Mexico .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New York .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Carolina ...: 0.1 0.1 24 29 366 382 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 .....: 4.6 (D) 1,918 (D) 418 (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 36 54 479 482 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 ....: 10.3 7.1 3,639 2,620 355 371 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: April 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 ..........: 1.9 1.8 793 744 419 413 Alaska ...........: 0.1 (Y) 20 (X) 301 (X) Arizona ..........: 0.1 0.1 33 31 266 260 Arkansas .........: 0.4 0.4 107 118 278 281 California .......: 82.4 82.3 19,088 19,595 232 238 Colorado .........: 2.2 2.0 379 324 170 160 Delaware-Maryland : 1.3 1.2 379 367 287 301 Florida ..........: 4.8 2.3 626 290 130 126 Georgia ..........: 5.6 4.7 1,443 1,289 257 273 Hawaii ...........: 0.2 0.2 48 49 286 281 : Idaho ............: 12.3 13.7 3,117 3,560 254 259 Illinois .........: 1,008.5 1,011.2 290,180 291,655 288 289 Indiana ..........: 751.9 756.2 213,513 217,174 284 287 Iowa .............: 3,292.8 3,320.4 966,615 972,803 294 293 Kansas ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kentucky .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ........: 0.3 0.2 65 60 197 261 Michigan .........: 395.9 417.8 115,003 123,468 291 296 Minnesota ........: 994.9 984.3 279,109 280,339 281 285 Mississippi ......: 3.8 3.5 684 637 179 185 : Missouri .........: 822.3 759.5 240,348 223,335 292 294 Montana ..........: 1.0 1.2 305 330 292 287 Nebraska .........: 706.1 687.5 206,122 200,587 292 292 Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 2.0 1.5 537 421 274 280 New Jersey .......: 8.4 9.4 839 1,008 100 107 New Mexico .......: 0.2 0.2 46 58 233 260 New York .........: 1.8 1.7 442 448 252 261 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Dakota .....: 0.2 0.2 58 60 294 290 : Ohio .............: 92.3 91.6 26,887 27,003 292 295 Oklahoma .........: 486.8 446.8 145,213 135,064 298 302 Oregon ...........: 5.7 5.2 1,443 1,345 254 260 Pennsylvania .....: 274.5 (D) 76,848 (D) 280 (D) South Carolina ...: 1.9 1.7 486 430 259 256 South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: 75.7 72.3 34,975 33,390 462 463 Texas ............: 21.7 22.7 4,338 4,658 200 206 Utah .............: 1.6 2.1 427 391 260 184 Virginia .........: 1.0 1.0 309 306 305 312 : Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) West Virginia ....: 0.6 0.5 183 147 309 270 Wisconsin ........: 62.6 68.3 26,895 30,155 430 442 Wyoming ..........: 0.3 0.3 85 86 292 268 : United States ....: 10,806.0 10,744.8 3,143,818 3,143,278 291 293 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: April 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 (Y) 4 (X) 72 (X) Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Arizona ..........: 0.8 (D) 84 (D) 106 (D) Arkansas .........: 0.1 0.1 12 10 92 106 California .......: 24.2 17.3 3,919 2,473 162 143 Colorado .........: 39.5 31.9 6,909 5,290 175 166 Delaware-Maryland : 1.7 1.7 163 165 99 96 Florida ..........: 3.1 2.7 158 134 52 49 Georgia ..........: 3.3 3.5 217 239 65 68 Hawaii ...........: 0.1 0.1 18 8 138 115 : Idaho ............: 0.1 0.2 23 23 161 150 Illinois .........: 8.2 7.2 695 558 84 78 Indiana ..........: 5.9 5.3 614 512 104 97 Iowa .............: 0.2 0.2 22 16 114 98 Kansas ...........: 0.2 0.3 23 23 105 83 Kentucky .........: 1.0 0.7 113 80 109 116 Louisiana ........: 0.8 0.6 43 33 58 55 Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Minnesota ........: 0.5 0.6 43 51 80 78 Mississippi ......: 0.1 0.2 10 14 70 76 : Missouri .........: 1.7 1.7 132 126 77 73 Montana ..........: 0.2 0.3 29 39 131 124 Nebraska .........: (Y) 0.1 (X) 6 (X) 106 Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 6.1 4.1 560 368 91 91 New Jersey .......: 16.2 17.6 1,280 1,564 79 89 New Mexico .......: 0.6 0.6 88 79 143 142 New York .........: 7.3 7.9 712 761 97 97 North Carolina ...: 5.0 7.0 296 425 59 61 North Dakota .....: 0.1 (Y) 9 (X) 137 (X) : Ohio .............: 5.5 4.1 851 615 154 151 Oklahoma .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Oregon ...........: 4.3 4.4 716 689 168 157 Pennsylvania .....: 14.5 12.3 1,533 1,254 106 102 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: 0.1 0.2 17 17 119 109 Tennessee ........: (D) 1.2 (D) 108 (D) 89 Texas ............: 25.6 20.7 2,306 1,547 90 75 Utah .............: 1.2 1.1 168 146 139 130 Virginia .........: 1.1 1.0 85 72 78 72 : Washington .......: 1.3 0.9 180 116 135 136 West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 0.7 0.7 70 64 102 86 Wyoming ..........: 0.1 0.1 19 12 185 143 : United States ....: 205.1 178.9 25,198 20,376 123 114 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 April : : : : January to April Class : April : March : April :-----------------------: April : March : April :----------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------------------- 1,000 head -------------------- ----------------- percent of total ---------------- : Cattle : Steers ...........: 1,232.9 1,124.2 1,110.7 4,823.6 4,406.9 48.8 49.1 48.4 48.7 48.7 Heifers ..........: 845.4 726.0 766.3 3,248.3 2,908.5 33.5 31.7 33.4 32.8 32.1 All cows .........: 410.6 408.5 384.2 1,705.2 1,609.3 16.3 17.8 16.7 17.2 17.8 Dairy cows .......: 207.2 239.2 215.1 889.9 938.4 8.2 10.4 9.4 9.0 10.4 Other cows .......: 203.4 169.3 169.2 815.3 671.0 8.1 7.4 7.4 8.2 7.4 Bulls ............: 37.1 32.8 35.1 133.6 125.7 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.4 : Total ............: 2,526.0 2,291.4 2,296.4 9,910.8 9,050.4 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Calves and : vealers ...... : 9.8 7.9 6.7 43.6 30.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Hogs : Barrows and : gilts ..........: 10,476.2 10,693.0 10,441.2 41,551.0 41,778.1 97.4 97.5 97.5 97.4 97.5 Sows .............: 262.0 256.3 243.5 1,026.7 973.0 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.3 Boars ............: 22.2 21.1 19.5 89.0 80.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 : Total ............: 10,760.4 10,970.4 10,704.2 42,666.7 42,831.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Sheep : Mature : sheep ..........: 11.9 11.0 10.9 40.5 43.8 6.7 6.2 6.8 6.2 6.8 Lambs and : yearlings ......: 165.6 167.5 149.0 612.2 603.8 93.3 93.8 93.2 93.8 93.2 : Total ............: 177.5 178.5 160.0 652.7 647.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Federally Inspected Slaughter Average Dressed Weight by Class - United States [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January to April Class : April : March : April :----------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : pounds : Cattle ............... : 877 902 901 875 899 Steers 1/ ...............: 945 984 980 949 983 Heifers 1/ ..............: 872 900 900 870 896 All cows 1/ .............: 674 677 667 670 668 Bulls 1/ ................: 933 927 936 913 930 : Calves and vealers ... : 210 209 217 190 204 : Hogs ................. : 217 218 219 217 219 Barrows and gilts 2/ ....: 215 216 217 215 217 Sows 2/ .................: 303 300 302 298 300 Boars 2/ ................: 222 227 233 222 228 : Sheep ................ : 64 62 59 64 61 Mature sheep 3/ .........: 65 64 62 66 63 Lambs and yearlings 3/ ..: 64 62 59 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: April 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 ............: 2.1 0.8 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 2 ............: 7.0 2.2 (D) 2.6 (D) (D) (D) 1.4 3 ............: 89.4 38.2 (D) 40.9 31.1 9.8 (D) (D) 4 ............: 53.4 6.4 2.6 39.5 12.2 27.3 5.0 0.2 5 ............: 237.9 116.8 29.4 (D) 56.3 (D) (D) (D) 6 ............: 372.9 159.5 141.6 62.3 27.6 34.7 9.5 (D) 7 ............:1,044.6 570.0 418.8 (D) (D) 39.2 (D) (Y) 8 ............: 220.0 107.8 96.6 (D) (D) (D) (D) (Y) 9 ............: 125.8 58.4 18.6 47.5 39.4 8.2 1.3 (D) 10 ...........: 143.2 50.6 52.0 38.9 31.8 7.1 1.7 0.1 : United States :2,296.4 1,110.7 766.3 384.2 215.1 169.2 35.1 6.7 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hogs : Sheep :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and : :and gilts: Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 1.3 1.3 (Y) (Y) 4.0 0.1 3.9 2 ............: 11.1 11.0 (Y) (Y) 25.0 2.9 22.2 3 ............: (D) (D) 0.2 (D) 15.8 1.8 14.0 4 ............: (D) (D) 76.0 (D) 13.9 1.1 12.8 5 ............: 3,312.6 3,214.3 93.4 4.8 28.4 1.6 26.8 6 ............: 465.8 465.6 0.1 0.1 17.0 0.9 16.1 7 ............: 4,783.2 4,698.5 73.5 11.2 1.9 0.1 1.8 8 ............: (D) (D) (Y) (D) 32.9 (D) (D) 9 ............: 79.5 79.4 (Y) (Y) 16.4 (D) (D) 10 ...........: 20.1 20.1 (Y) (Y) 4.6 0.1 4.5 : United States :10,704.2 10,441.2 243.5 19.5 160.0 10.9 149.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 April 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 ............: 8.5 3.2 2.1 2.2 1.6 0.6 0.9 0.3 2 ............: 29.5 8.9 (D) 11.0 (D) (D) (D) 6.8 3 ............: 342.5 138.4 (D) 168.5 133.8 34.7 (D) (D) 4 ............: 213.4 23.5 8.9 161.4 55.5 105.8 19.7 0.7 5 ............: 942.6 451.6 117.3 (D) 238.1 (D) (D) (D) 6 ............:1,482.0 642.4 535.5 269.4 124.8 144.7 34.7 (D) 7 ............:4,050.3 2,220.4 1,601.1 (D) (D) 162.0 (D) 0.2 8 ............: 910.8 478.3 377.3 (D) (D) (D) (D) (Y) 9 ............: 518.2 220.0 72.3 221.6 191.2 30.4 4.2 (D) 10 ...........: 552.8 220.1 169.8 157.3 126.7 30.6 5.5 0.2 : United States :9,050.4 4,406.9 2,908.5 1,609.3 938.4 671.0 125.7 30.1 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hogs : Sheep :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and : :and gilts : Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 6.2 6.1 0.1 (Y) 14.3 0.7 13.6 2 ............: 45.2 45.0 0.2 0.1 92.0 11.8 80.2 3 ............: (D) (D) 0.7 (D) 57.4 4.3 53.1 4 ............: (D) (D) 320.3 (D) 52.8 3.8 49.0 5 ............: 13,249.7 12,867.8 360.3 21.6 117.2 6.4 110.8 6 ............: 1,794.7 1,794.0 0.3 0.4 64.3 4.9 59.4 7 ............: 19,252.1 18,916.6 290.7 44.8 7.2 0.5 6.8 8 ............: (D) (D) 0.2 (D) 150.4 (D) (D) 9 ............: 310.1 309.8 0.2 0.1 72.5 (D) (D) 10 ...........: 81.3 81.2 0.1 (Y) 19.6 0.4 19.3 : United States : 42,831.1 41,778.1 973.0 80.0 647.6 43.8 603.8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 to April Species : April : March : April :------------------------ : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent : Cattle .......: 98.2 98.1 98.1 98.2 98.1 Calves .......: 94.5 94.3 93.9 94.7 93.6 Hogs .........: 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 Sheep ........: 86.5 90.5 89.4 87.1 89.3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 1,125 livestock slaughter plants in the United States operating under Federal Inspection and about 1,800 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 14). 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 Shulonda Blackmon - Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses, Cold Storage............... (202) 720-3240 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 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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