Livestock Slaughter ISSN: 0499-0544 Released June 25, 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 May 2025 contained 22 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 5 Saturdays. May 2026 contained 21 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 5 Saturdays. Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.10 billion pounds in May, down 6 percent from the 4.38 billion pounds produced in May 2025. Beef production, at 1.95 billion pounds, was 8 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.18 million head, down 11 percent from May 2025. The average live weight was up 42 pounds from the previous year, at 1,464 pounds. Veal production totaled 1.5 million pounds, 33 percent below May a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 6,700 head, down 36 percent from May 2025. The average live weight was up 19 pounds from last year, at 381 pounds. Pork production totaled 2.14 billion pounds, down 4 percent from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 9.81 million head, down 6 percent from May 2025. The average live weight was up 3 pounds from the previous year, at 292 pounds. Lamb and mutton production, at 9.4 million pounds, was down 19 percent from May 2025. Sheep slaughter totaled 167,500 head, 10 percent below last year. The average live weight was 110 pounds, down 12 pounds from May a year ago. January to May 2026 commercial red meat production was 21.8 billion pounds, down 3 percent from 2025. Accumulated beef production was down 7 percent from last year, veal was down 27 percent, pork was down slightly from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 9 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: May 2025 and 2026............ 7 Commercial Calf Slaughter - States and United States: May 2025 and 2026.............. 8 Commercial Hog Slaughter - States and United States: May 2025 and 2026............... 9 Commercial Sheep and Lamb Slaughter - States and United States: May 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: May 2026.................. 12 Federally Inspected Slaughter - Regions and United States: January to May 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] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : May 2026 as % of : January to May : May : April : May :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : May : April : : :2026 as % : : : : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ -- percent -- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 2,122.9 2,097.0 1,951.8 92 93 10,908.8 10,196.3 93 Veal .............: 2.2 1.5 1.5 67 97 11.0 8.1 73 Pork .............: 2,239.7 2,346.9 2,140.1 96 91 11,539.3 11,537.4 100 Lamb and mutton ..: 11.5 10.4 9.4 81 90 58.7 53.1 91 : Total red meat ...: 4,376.4 4,455.9 4,102.8 94 92 22,517.7 21,794.9 97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Federally Inspected Red Meat Production - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : May 2026 as % of : January to May : May : April : May :---------------------------------------------------- Type : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : May : April : : :2026 as % : : : : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------- million pounds ------ -- percent -- million pounds percent : Beef .............: 2,092.2 2,064.3 1,922.2 92 93 10,745.7 10,039.0 93 Veal .............: 2.1 1.4 1.4 66 97 10.4 7.5 73 Pork .............: 2,231.6 2,339.1 2,132.5 96 91 11,495.7 11,497.6 100 Lamb and mutton ..: 10.2 9.4 8.3 82 88 52.2 48.0 92 : Total red meat ...: 4,336.1 4,414.2 4,064.5 94 92 22,304.0 21,592.1 97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Livestock Slaughter and Average Live Weight - United States [Totals, accumulated totals, and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : May : January to May : May : April : May : 2026 as % :-------------------------------------------- Species : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : of 2025 : : : 2026 as % : : : : : 2025 : 2026 : of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent : Cattle : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 2,405.9 2,296.4 2,143.5 89 12,316.6 11,194.0 91 Other ................1,000: 43.6 45.1 40.7 93 229.5 216.9 95 Commercial ...........1,000: 2,449.4 2,341.5 2,184.2 89 12,546.2 11,411.0 91 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 1,425 1,471 1,468 103 1,434 1,470 103 Other ...............pounds: 1,230 1,263 1,263 103 1,240 1,263 102 Commercial ..........pounds: 1,422 1,467 1,464 103 1,430 1,466 103 : Calves : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 10.0 6.7 6.3 63 53.6 36.4 68 Other ................1,000: 0.5 0.4 0.4 82 2.9 2.5 85 Commercial ...........1,000: 10.5 7.1 6.7 64 56.5 38.8 69 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 360 368 377 105 329 352 107 Other ...............pounds: 417 430 436 105 397 414 104 Commercial ..........pounds: 362 371 381 105 333 356 107 : Hogs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 10,353.9 10,704.2 9,766.9 94 53,020.6 52,598.0 99 Other ................1,000: 43.5 40.6 39.2 90 228.5 205.7 90 Commercial ...........1,000: 10,397.4 10,744.8 9,806.1 94 53,249.1 52,803.7 99 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 289 293 292 101 291 293 101 Other ...............pounds: 256 265 263 103 262 265 101 Commercial ..........pounds: 289 293 292 101 291 293 101 : Sheep and lambs : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 159.7 160.1 145.9 91 812.4 793.6 98 Other ................1,000: 27.2 18.9 21.6 79 123.9 99.2 80 Commercial ...........1,000: 186.9 179.0 167.5 90 936.3 892.9 95 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 126 115 112 89 127 119 94 Other ...............pounds: 96 102 98 102 102 102 100 Commercial ..........pounds: 122 114 110 91 123 117 95 : Goats : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 41.9 38.7 38.9 93 215.9 207.9 96 Other ................1,000: 8.6 8.0 8.1 95 44.5 42.0 94 Commercial ...........1,000: 50.5 46.7 47.0 93 260.4 249.9 96 Average live weight : Federally inspected .pounds: 64 64 65 101 65 64 99 Other ...............pounds: 83 81 84 101 83 83 100 Commercial ..........pounds: 67 67 68 101 68 67 100 : Bison : Number of head : Federally inspected ..1,000: 4.5 5.1 4.5 100 27.1 22.9 85 Other ................1,000: 0.2 0.3 0.2 113 1.4 1.7 115 Commercial ...........1,000: 4.7 5.4 4.7 100 28.5 24.6 86 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commercial Red Meat Production - States and United States [Includes total beef, veal, pork, lamb, and mutton. Totals and percentages based on unrounded data] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : May : April : May : May 2026 as : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : % of 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- million pounds ---------- percent : Alabama ...............: 1.1 1.2 1.0 99 Alaska ................: 0.1 0.1 (Y) (X) Arizona ...............: 39.0 42.4 37.7 97 Arkansas ..............: 0.5 0.5 0.5 94 California ............: 81.7 78.5 76.0 93 Colorado ..............: 181.5 133.2 96.8 53 Delaware-Maryland .....: 2.2 1.8 1.7 77 Florida ...............: 4.0 4.8 4.4 110 Georgia ...............: 7.6 9.0 8.0 105 Hawaii ................: 0.8 0.7 0.6 79 : Idaho .................: 46.8 44.6 40.4 86 Illinois ..............: 267.1 275.0 262.0 98 Indiana ...............: 161.5 170.6 158.3 98 Iowa ..................: 739.0 763.7 711.6 96 Kansas ................: 437.4 480.2 467.4 107 Kentucky ..............: 50.0 53.8 49.3 99 Louisiana .............: 0.4 0.4 0.4 100 Michigan ..............: 125.8 136.4 122.2 97 Minnesota .............: 215.8 233.0 209.0 97 Mississippi ...........: 0.9 0.9 0.8 92 : Missouri ..............: 157.2 183.3 169.3 108 Montana ...............: 2.2 2.1 1.9 84 Nebraska ..............: 640.6 620.4 582.1 91 Nevada ................: 0.1 0.1 0.1 92 New England 1/ ........: 2.7 2.2 1.9 73 New Jersey ............: 4.2 4.3 4.2 100 New Mexico ............: 0.4 0.4 0.4 93 New York ..............: 2.6 2.8 2.5 98 North Carolina ........: 224.1 228.0 186.6 83 North Dakota ..........: 0.8 0.8 0.7 87 : Ohio ..................: 21.4 25.1 23.2 108 Oklahoma ..............: 110.1 109.0 93.8 85 Oregon ................: 2.3 2.2 2.2 96 Pennsylvania ..........: 127.6 130.4 121.3 95 South Carolina ........: 15.9 10.9 10.7 68 South Dakota ..........: 106.7 119.9 102.6 96 Tennessee .............: 25.3 24.0 25.5 101 Texas .................: 354.7 328.1 323.8 91 Utah ..................: 46.2 51.7 43.9 95 Virginia ..............: 1.2 1.2 1.1 96 : Washington ............: 76.0 83.2 72.3 95 West Virginia .........: 0.7 0.9 0.8 116 Wisconsin .............: 89.5 93.0 82.9 93 Wyoming ...............: 0.9 0.9 0.8 88 : United States .........: 4,376.4 4,455.9 4,102.8 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: May 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 1.0 1,133 1,168 1,128 1,147 Alaska ...........: 0.1 0.1 66 71 1,048 1,208 Arizona ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Arkansas .........: 0.8 0.7 853 764 1,125 1,133 California .......: 83.5 76.7 118,988 107,783 1,435 1,415 Colorado .........: 195.3 102.3 284,364 151,581 1,458 1,484 Delaware-Maryland : 2.1 1.6 3,085 2,255 1,436 1,401 Florida ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Georgia ..........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Hawaii ...........: 1.0 0.8 1,258 990 1,209 1,280 : Idaho ............: 57.0 48.3 79,226 66,670 1,400 1,390 Illinois .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Indiana ..........: 8.5 9.7 10,486 12,551 1,251 1,300 Iowa .............: 42.6 40.4 60,769 59,080 1,427 1,464 Kansas ...........: 473.1 485.8 671,794 721,620 1,421 1,486 Kentucky .........: 6.3 6.0 7,477 7,254 1,192 1,212 Louisiana ........: 0.5 0.5 533 542 1,005 1,100 Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Minnesota ........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Mississippi ......: 0.7 0.6 685 650 1,028 1,038 : Missouri .........: 10.5 20.6 12,835 29,130 1,234 1,420 Montana ..........: 2.6 2.1 3,281 2,640 1,267 1,270 Nebraska .........: 536.2 455.2 794,698 696,886 1,484 1,532 Nevada ...........: (D) 0.1 (D) 119 (D) 1,199 New England 1/ ...: 2.8 2.2 3,435 2,730 1,248 1,247 New Jersey .......: 4.3 4.1 4,948 4,784 1,165 1,170 New Mexico .......: 0.5 0.5 534 493 1,078 1,070 New York .........: 2.6 2.6 3,323 3,283 1,262 1,263 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Dakota .....: 0.9 0.8 1,192 1,023 1,282 1,346 : Ohio .............: 5.8 5.7 7,751 7,586 1,338 1,338 Oklahoma .........: 6.8 6.5 8,144 7,984 1,204 1,241 Oregon ...........: 1.3 1.1 1,609 1,407 1,250 1,274 Pennsylvania .....: 87.8 79.5 118,773 108,377 1,358 1,368 South Carolina ...: 21.8 15.6 31,050 20,880 1,431 1,343 South Dakota .....: 27.1 (D) 42,691 (D) 1,576 (D) Tennessee ........: 3.2 3.0 3,288 3,056 1,064 1,041 Texas ............: 423.4 364.3 575,180 522,063 1,362 1,437 Utah .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Virginia .........: 1.3 1.3 1,489 1,451 1,106 1,145 : Washington .......: 83.8 79.2 121,312 115,983 1,452 1,470 West Virginia ....: 0.7 0.9 961 1,160 1,286 1,290 Wisconsin ........: 94.1 84.8 132,456 120,064 1,415 1,422 Wyoming ..........: 0.9 0.8 1,190 1,072 1,295 1,276 : United States ....: 2,449.4 2,184.2 3,475,007 3,190,441 1,422 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: May 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 (Y) 52 (X) 424 (X) Georgia ..........: 0.1 (D) 33 (D) 435 (D) Hawaii ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) : Idaho ............: (D) (Y) (D) (X) (D) (X) Illinois .........: 0.1 0.1 46 37 400 413 Indiana ..........: (D) 0.4 (D) 143 (D) 407 Iowa .............: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kansas ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (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 9 229 172 New Jersey .......: 1.6 1.0 630 408 388 392 New Mexico .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New York .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Carolina ...: 0.1 (Y) 22 (X) 360 (X) 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 .....: 4.8 (D) 2,010 (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 61 54 481 483 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 ....: 10.5 6.7 3,769 2,534 362 381 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: May 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 ..........: 1.5 1.3 631 555 410 414 Alaska ...........: 0.1 (Y) 16 (X) 261 (X) Arizona ..........: 0.1 0.1 23 19 275 245 Arkansas .........: 0.3 0.3 81 82 265 293 California .......: 83.4 79.3 19,183 18,976 230 240 Colorado .........: 2.0 1.6 345 285 177 174 Delaware-Maryland : 1.4 1.4 381 375 276 272 Florida ..........: 2.7 2.0 341 253 126 124 Georgia ..........: 5.0 4.6 1,262 1,253 251 271 Hawaii ...........: 0.2 0.2 49 49 286 285 : Idaho ............: 11.3 11.5 2,864 2,989 254 261 Illinois .........: 974.8 926.7 280,619 265,066 288 286 Indiana ..........: 723.8 692.5 207,168 200,322 286 289 Iowa .............: 3,243.0 3,087.3 944,963 906,806 291 294 Kansas ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Kentucky .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Louisiana ........: 0.3 0.2 57 57 214 261 Michigan .........: 398.7 380.3 115,126 109,606 289 288 Minnesota ........: 927.3 885.7 258,059 250,797 278 283 Mississippi ......: 3.8 3.3 663 598 176 181 : Missouri .........: 690.3 700.6 200,970 204,880 291 292 Montana ..........: 1.0 1.1 293 315 294 280 Nebraska .........: 670.0 672.3 194,814 194,675 291 290 Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 2.1 1.3 579 362 272 269 New Jersey .......: 8.3 8.4 839 971 101 115 New Mexico .......: 0.1 0.2 35 40 268 256 New York .........: 1.6 1.7 416 430 253 249 North Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) North Dakota .....: 0.2 0.2 65 72 291 297 : Ohio .............: 77.9 84.2 22,147 24,831 285 295 Oklahoma .........: 478.5 376.0 139,037 115,702 291 308 Oregon ...........: 5.1 5.3 1,286 1,368 255 260 Pennsylvania .....: 272.1 (D) 74,790 (D) 275 (D) South Carolina ...: 1.7 1.5 447 383 256 253 South Dakota .....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Tennessee ........: 76.3 75.5 35,211 35,675 462 473 Texas ............: 23.2 18.7 4,494 3,642 194 195 Utah .............: 1.7 1.9 425 361 245 191 Virginia .........: 1.1 1.0 306 318 281 316 : Washington .......: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) West Virginia ....: 0.4 0.5 113 133 279 286 Wisconsin ........: 60.7 61.1 26,371 27,472 436 450 Wyoming ..........: 0.8 0.7 211 175 275 266 : United States ....: 10,397.4 9,806.1 3,005,881 2,863,932 289 292 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: May 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) 7 (X) 108 (X) Alaska ...........: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) Arizona ..........: 0.6 (D) 73 (D) 116 (D) Arkansas .........: 0.1 0.1 9 14 93 103 California .......: 19.8 16.6 2,960 2,344 150 141 Colorado .........: 34.0 25.5 6,045 4,127 178 162 Delaware-Maryland : 1.3 1.4 127 137 97 97 Florida ..........: 3.1 3.0 154 141 50 47 Georgia ..........: 3.5 3.6 207 235 60 65 Hawaii ...........: 0.1 0.1 15 11 153 121 : Idaho ............: 0.1 0.2 24 36 160 150 Illinois .........: 6.8 6.7 551 521 81 78 Indiana ..........: 5.9 6.7 599 670 102 100 Iowa .............: 0.1 0.2 17 17 118 105 Kansas ...........: 0.2 0.3 20 24 92 85 Kentucky .........: 0.9 0.7 90 77 104 109 Louisiana ........: 0.8 0.6 44 33 57 55 Michigan .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Minnesota ........: 0.5 0.7 46 56 84 78 Mississippi ......: 0.2 0.2 17 15 69 68 : Missouri .........: 2.0 1.9 152 134 76 72 Montana ..........: 0.3 0.3 33 40 117 126 Nebraska .........: 0.1 0.1 6 5 113 106 Nevada ...........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) New England 1/ ...: 4.8 2.5 476 236 99 95 New Jersey .......: 16.1 17.1 1,334 1,546 83 91 New Mexico .......: 0.8 0.6 118 86 151 141 New York .........: 6.0 5.8 628 582 105 100 North Carolina ...: 6.5 7.5 371 452 57 60 North Dakota .....: (Y) (Y) (X) (X) (X) (X) : Ohio .............: 4.7 3.7 730 582 155 158 Oklahoma .........: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Oregon ...........: 4.4 4.4 724 673 166 153 Pennsylvania .....: 10.0 8.9 1,073 911 107 103 South Carolina ...: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) South Dakota .....: 0.2 0.2 22 19 144 103 Tennessee ........: (D) 1.6 (D) 135 (D) 86 Texas ............: 26.9 25.2 2,500 1,892 93 75 Utah .............: 1.1 1.0 155 132 137 132 Virginia .........: 1.1 0.7 72 47 63 69 : Washington .......: 1.3 1.1 179 143 138 135 West Virginia ....: (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) (D) Wisconsin ........: 0.6 0.8 58 68 105 84 Wyoming ..........: 0.2 0.1 25 10 123 156 : United States ....: 186.9 167.5 22,731 18,446 122 110 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 May : : : : January to May Class : May : April : May :-----------------------: May : April : May :----------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------------------- 1,000 head -------------------- ----------------- percent of total ---------------- : Cattle : Steers ...........: 1,180.1 1,110.8 1,082.6 6,003.7 5,489.5 49.1 48.4 50.5 48.7 49.0 Heifers ..........: 787.1 766.3 665.4 4,035.5 3,573.9 32.7 33.4 31.0 32.8 31.9 All cows .........: 401.6 384.2 361.5 2,106.8 1,970.8 16.7 16.7 16.9 17.1 17.6 Dairy cows .......: 196.8 215.1 191.7 1,086.7 1,130.0 8.2 9.4 8.9 8.8 10.1 Other cows .......: 204.8 169.2 169.8 1,020.1 840.8 8.5 7.4 7.9 8.3 7.5 Bulls ............: 37.1 35.2 34.1 170.7 159.8 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.4 : Total ............: 2,405.9 2,296.4 2,143.5 12,316.6 11,194.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Calves and : vealers ...... : 10.0 6.7 6.3 53.6 36.4 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Hogs : Barrows and : gilts ..........: 10,081.9 10,441.3 9,518.0 51,633.0 51,296.1 97.4 97.5 97.5 97.4 97.5 Sows .............: 249.5 243.5 229.1 1,276.2 1,202.1 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.3 Boars ............: 22.4 19.5 19.8 111.4 99.8 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 : Total ............: 10,353.9 10,704.2 9,766.9 53,020.6 52,598.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 : Sheep : Mature : sheep ..........: 10.8 10.9 11.1 51.3 54.9 6.7 6.8 7.6 6.3 6.9 Lambs and : yearlings ......: 148.9 149.1 134.8 761.1 738.7 93.3 93.2 92.4 93.7 93.1 : Total ............: 159.7 160.1 145.9 812.4 793.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Federally Inspected Slaughter Average Dressed Weight by Class - United States [Data may not add to totals due to rounding] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : January to May Class : May : April : May :----------------------- : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : pounds : Cattle ............... : 872 901 899 874 899 Steers 1/ ...............: 942 980 978 947 982 Heifers 1/ ..............: 866 900 893 869 896 All cows 1/ .............: 669 667 664 669 667 Bulls 1/ ................: 940 936 950 919 934 : Calves and vealers ... : 215 217 224 195 208 : Hogs ................. : 216 219 218 217 219 Barrows and gilts 2/ ....: 213 217 216 215 217 Sows 2/ .................: 301 302 306 298 301 Boars 2/ ................: 224 233 235 222 229 : Sheep ................ : 64 59 57 64 60 Mature sheep 3/ .........: 65 62 63 66 63 Lambs and yearlings 3/ ..: 64 59 57 64 60 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: May 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 ............: 1.9 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 2 ............: 6.6 2.2 (D) 2.3 (D) (D) (D) 1.2 3 ............: 80.9 34.6 (D) 36.4 26.7 9.7 (D) (D) 4 ............: 49.8 5.9 2.5 36.7 10.1 26.6 4.7 0.1 5 ............: 227.0 111.7 29.6 (D) 51.3 (D) (D) (D) 6 ............: 366.4 168.6 130.4 58.7 23.9 34.9 8.7 (D) 7 ............: 993.2 565.1 372.9 (D) (D) 39.7 (D) (Y) 8 ............: 171.3 91.3 67.1 (D) (D) (D) (D) (Y) 9 ............: 118.5 52.0 18.4 46.7 35.8 11.0 1.3 (D) 10 ...........: 127.9 50.4 38.1 37.8 29.4 8.4 1.7 (Y) : United States :2,143.5 1,082.6 665.4 361.5 191.7 169.8 34.1 6.3 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hogs : Sheep :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and : :and gilts: Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 1.2 1.2 (Y) (Y) 2.5 0.1 2.4 2 ............: 10.1 10.1 (Y) (Y) 22.5 3.3 19.2 3 ............: (D) (D) 0.2 (D) 11.9 0.9 11.0 4 ............: (D) (D) 78.5 (D) 15.0 0.9 14.1 5 ............: 3,015.1 2,929.3 80.7 5.1 26.5 1.8 24.7 6 ............: 392.0 391.9 0.1 0.1 18.7 1.2 17.5 7 ............: 4,472.9 4,391.9 69.5 11.5 2.0 0.1 1.9 8 ............: (D) (D) (Y) (D) 26.2 (D) (D) 9 ............: 75.4 75.3 (Y) (Y) 16.0 (D) (D) 10 ...........: 18.1 18.1 (Y) (Y) 4.6 (Y) 4.6 : United States : 9,766.9 9,518.0 229.1 19.8 145.9 11.1 134.8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 - Regions and United States: January to May 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 ............: 10.4 3.9 2.6 2.8 2.0 0.8 1.1 0.3 2 ............: 36.1 11.1 (D) 13.3 (D) (D) (D) 8.1 3 ............: 423.4 173.0 (D) 204.9 160.5 44.4 (D) (D) 4 ............: 263.2 29.4 11.4 198.1 65.6 132.5 24.4 0.9 5 ............: 1,169.5 563.4 146.9 (D) 289.5 (D) (D) (D) 6 ............: 1,848.4 811.0 665.9 328.2 148.6 179.5 43.4 (D) 7 ............: 5,043.5 2,785.5 1,974.1 (D) (D) 201.7 (D) 0.2 8 ............: 1,082.1 569.6 444.4 (D) (D) (D) (D) (Y) 9 ............: 636.6 272.0 90.7 268.3 227.0 41.3 5.6 (D) 10 ...........: 680.7 270.5 207.9 195.1 156.1 39.0 7.2 0.2 : United States :11,194.0 5,489.5 3,573.9 1,970.8 1,130.0 840.8 159.8 36.4 :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hogs : Sheep :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : Total : Barrows : : : Total : Mature :Lambs and : :and gilts : Sows : Boars : : sheep :yearlings :---------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : 1 ............: 7.4 7.3 0.1 (Y) 16.7 0.8 16.0 2 ............: 55.4 55.1 0.2 0.1 114.5 15.1 99.4 3 ............: (D) (D) 0.9 (D) 69.3 5.2 64.1 4 ............: (D) (D) 398.8 (D) 67.9 4.7 63.1 5 ............: 16,264.8 15,797.1 441.0 26.6 143.8 8.2 135.6 6 ............: 2,186.8 2,185.9 0.4 0.4 82.9 6.1 76.8 7 ............: 23,725.0 23,308.4 360.2 56.3 9.3 0.5 8.7 8 ............: (D) (D) 0.3 (D) 176.5 (D) (D) 9 ............: 385.5 385.2 0.2 0.1 88.5 (D) (D) 10 ...........: 99.4 99.3 0.1 (Y) 24.3 0.4 23.8 : United States : 52,598.0 51,296.1 1,202.1 99.8 793.6 54.9 738.7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 May Species : May : April : May :------------------------ : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent : Cattle .......: 98.2 98.1 98.1 98.2 98.1 Calves .......: 95.3 93.9 94.0 94.8 93.6 Hogs .........: 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 99.6 Sheep ........: 85.4 89.4 87.1 86.8 88.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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