Statistics & Information
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For the most current coverage of the livestock industry see the
monthly newsletter Livestock,
Dairy, and Poultry.
U.S. Cattle and Beef Industry, 2002-2011
- Retail equivalent value of U.S. beef industry:
2002: $60 billion
2003: $63 billion
2004: $70 billion
2005: $71 billion
2006: $71 billion
2007: $74 billion
2008: $76 billion
2009: $73 billion
2010: $74 billion
2011: $79 billion
- Total U.S. beef consumption:
2002: 27.9 billion pounds
2003: 27.0 billion pounds
2004: 27.8 billion pounds
2005: 27.8 billion pounds
2006: 28.1 billion pounds
2007: 28.1 billion pounds
2008: 27.3 billion pounds
2009: 26.8 billion pounds
2010: 26.4 billion pounds
2011: 25.6 billion pounds
- Value of U.S. cattle and calf production:
2002: $27.1 billion
2003: $32.1 billion
2004: $34.8 billion
2005: $36.6 billion
2006: $35.6 billion
2007: $36.0 billion
2008: $35.6 billion
2009: $32.0 billion
2010: $37.0 billion
2011: $45.2 billion
- U.S. beef production (commercial carcass weight):
2002: 27.09 billion pounds
2003: 26.24 billion pounds
2004: 24.55 billion pounds
2005: 24.68 billion pounds
2006: 26.15 billion pounds
2007: 26.42 billion pounds
2008: 26.56 billion pounds
2009: 26.07 billion pounds
2010: 26.41 billion pounds
2011: 26.29 billion pounds
- U.S. beef exports (commercial carcass weight and value):
2002: 2.447 billion pounds, $2.629
billion
2003: 2.518 billion pounds, $3.186
billion
2004: 460 million pounds, $631
million
2005: 697 million pounds, $1.031
billion
2006: 1.132 billion pounds, $1.617
billion
2007: 1.434 billion pounds, $2.187
billion
2008: 1.996 billion pounds, $3.014
billion
2009: 1.935 billion pounds, $2.909
billion
2010: 2.300 billion pounds, $3.839
billion
2011: 2.788 billion pounds, $5.042 billion
- U.S. beef exports as percent of production:
2002: 9.0 percent
2003: 9.6 percent
2004: 1.9 percent
2005: 2.8 percent
2006: 4.4 percent
2007: 5.4 percent
2008: 7.1 percent
2009: 7.4 percent
2010: 8.7 percent
2011:10.6 percent
- U.S. commercial slaughter:
2002: 35.735 million head (including 29.4
million steers and heifers and 5.76 million cull beef and dairy
cows)
2003: 35.49 million head (including 28.7
million steers and heifers and 6.1 million cull beef and dairy
cows)
2004: 32.727 million head (27 million
steers and heifers and 5.2 million cull beef and dairy cows)
2005: 32.387 million head (27 million
steers and heifers and 4.86 million cull beef and dairy cows)
2006: 33.698 million head (27.8 million
steers and heifers and 5.43 million cull beef and dairy cows)
2007: 34.3 million head (27.9 million
steers and heifers and 5.8 million cull beef and dairy cows)
2008: 34.4 million head (27.5 million
steers and heifers and 6.3 million cull beef and dairy
cows)
2009: 33.3 million head (26.5 million
steers and heifers and 6.2 million cull beef and dairy cows)
2010: 34.2 million head (27.1 million steers
and heifers and 6.5 million cull beef and dairy cows)
2011: 34.1 million head (26.7 million steers
and heifers and 6.8 million cull beef and dairy cows)
- Cattle inventory
- January 1, 2003:
- U.S.--96.1 million, down from 1996 peak of 103.5 million
- Canada--13.5 million head
- January 1, 2004
- U.S.--94.4 million head (cyclical low)
- Canada--14.6 million head
- January 1, 2005
- U.S.--94.0 million head
- Canada--14.9 million head
- January 1, 2006
- U.S.--96.3 million head
- Canada--14.7 million head
- January 1, 2007
- U.S.--96.6 million head
- Canada--14.2 million head
- January 1, 2008
- U.S.--96.0 million head
- Canada--13.9 million head
- January 1, 2009
- U.S.--94.5 million head
- Canada--13.2 million head
- January 1, 2010
- U.S.--93.9 million head
- Canada--12.9 million head
- January 1, 2011
- U.S.--92.7 million head
- Canada--12.5 million head
- January 1, 2012
- U.S.--90.8 million head
- Canada--12.5 million head
- See all U.S. and State cattle inventories
- Statistics on meat animal production
- U.S. livestock outlook/situation:
- Livestock,
Dairy, and Poultry Outlook (includes current situation and
forecasts)
- World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates
(all issues)
- U.S.-Canada cattle inventories
U.S. Beef Prices
- Context before discovery of BSE in the United States, December
23, 2003:
- Average monthly price in November 2003: $4.32/pound, Choice
beef
- Previous monthly record high: $3.48 in June 2001, when market
was adjusting to similar period of tight beef supplies
- Annual prices in 2003 averaged another record-high:
$3.75/pound
- Supply and quality of beef nearing cyclical lows
- Post BSE discovery:
-
- Annual prices in 2005 averaged $4.09/pound
- Annual prices in 2006 averaged $3.97/pound
- Annual prices in 2007 averaged $4.16/pound
- Annual prices in 2008 averaged $4.33/pound
- Annual prices in 2009 averaged $4.26/pound
- Annual prices in 2010 averaged $4.40/pound
- Annual prices in 2011 averaged $4.83/pound
- Current cattle/beef prices:
- Retail
beef prices-annual, quarterly, monthly
U.S. Meat and Livestock Trade, 2002-2010
- U.S. meat and livestock imports/exports by country- current
year-to-date and annual and monthly
Top markets for U.S. beef *
(accounting for over 90 percent of total beef exports)
|
|
Year
|
Japan
|
Mexico
|
South Korea
|
Canada
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Volume
|
Value
|
(Million lbs. carcass weight)
|
|
(Million lbs. carcass weight)
|
|
(Million lbs. carcass weight)
|
|
(Million lbs. carcass weight)
|
|
| 2002 |
771
|
854
|
629
|
615
|
597
|
619
|
241
|
286
|
| 2003 |
918
|
1,182
|
586
|
623
|
587
|
754
|
227
|
309
|
| 2004 |
12
|
31
|
333
|
393
|
1
|
2
|
56
|
105
|
| 2005 |
17
|
50
|
464
|
584
|
1
|
3
|
106
|
194
|
| 2006 |
52
|
105
|
660
|
786
|
1
|
4
|
239
|
415
|
| 2007 |
159
|
294
|
586
|
737
|
78
|
124
|
339
|
576
|
| 2008 |
231
|
439
|
759
|
895
|
152
|
291
|
389
|
683
|
| 2009 |
274
|
495
|
628
|
770
|
141
|
215
|
363
|
622
|
| 2010 |
351
|
662
|
500
|
670
|
277
|
504
|
390
|
731
|
| 2011 |
456
|
872
|
488
|
790
|
380
|
661
|
501
|
1,039
|
*Note: Total beef exports to South Korea and Japan include
several processed meat categories, each of which is assumed to
contain a specific portion of beef.
U.S.-Canada Beef and Cattle Trade**
U.S. cattle imports from Canada:
- 2002: 1.686 million head
- 2003: 0.512 million head
- 2004: 135 head
- 2005: 0.559 million head
- 2006: 1.032 million head
- 2007: 1.405 million head
- 2008: 1.581 million head
- 2009: 1.061 million head
- 2010: 1.063 million head
- 2011: 0.686 million head
U.S. cattle imports from all sources:
- 2002: 2.503 million head
- 2003: 1.752 million head
- 2004: 1.371 million head
- 2005: 1.816 million head
- 2006: 2.289 million head
- 2007: 2.495 million head
- 2008: 2.284 million head
- 2009: 2.002 million head
- 2010: 2.284 million head
- 2011: 2.107 million head
Share of U.S. cattle imports from Canada:
- 2002: 67 percent
- 2003: 29 percent
- 2004: <0.1 percent
- 2005: 31 percent
- 2006: 45 percent
- 2007: 56 percent
- 2008: 69 percent
- 2009: 53 percent
- 2010: 47 percent
- 2011: 33 percent
Beef and veal imports from Canada (carcass weight):
- 2002: 1.091 billion pounds
- 2003: 0.740 billion pounds
- 2004: 1.062 billion pounds
- 2005: 1.092 billion pounds
- 2006: 0.844 billion pounds
- 2007: 0.789 billion pounds
- 2008: 0.841 billion pounds
- 2009: 0.812 billion pounds
- 2010: 0.861 billion pounds
- 2011: 0.689 billion pounds
Beef and veal imports from all sources (carcass weight):
- 2002: 3.218 billion pounds
- 2003: 3.006 billion pounds
- 2004: 3.679 billion pounds
- 2005: 3.599 billion pounds
- 2006: 3.085 billion pounds
- 2007: 3.052 billion pounds
- 2008: 2.538 billion pounds
- 2009: 2.627 billion pounds
- 2010: 2.297 billion pounds
- 2011: 2.056 billion pounds
Beef import share from Canada:
- 2002: 34 percent
- 2003: 25 percent
- 2004: 29 percent
- 2005: 30 percent
- 2006: 27 percent
- 2007: 26 percent
- 2008: 33 percent
- 2009: 31 percent
- 2010: 31 percent
- 2011: 34 percent
Beef imports from Canada as share of U.S. beef consumption:
- 2002: 3.9 percent
- 2003: 2.7 percent
- 2004: 3.8 percent
- 2005: 3.9 percent
- 2006: 3.0 percent
- 2007: 2.8 percent
- 2008: 3.1 percent
- 2009: 3.0 percent
- 2010: 3.3 percent
- 2011: 2.7 percent
Canadian beef markets: United States, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and
other countries.
Value of all Canadian beef/cattle exports (Canadian dollars):
- 2002
- $1.832 billion in live animals
- $2.166 billion in beef products
- $3.998 billion total sales
- 2003
- $1.518 billion in live animals
- $0.592 billion in beef products
- $2.110 billion in total sales
- 2004
- $23.015 billion in live animals
- $0 in beef products
- $2.015 billion in total sales
- 2005
- $0.628 million in live animals
- $1.886 billion in beef products
- $2.514 billion in total sales
- 2006
- $1.189 billion in live animals
- $1.262 billion in beef products
- $2.450 billion in total sales
- 2007
- $1.545 billion in live animals
- $1.133 billion in beef products
- $2.678 billion in total sales
- 2008
- $1.646 billion in live animals
-
- $1.062 billion in beef products
- $2.708 billion in total sales
- 2009
- $1.122 billion in live animals
-
- $1.149 billion in beef products
- $2.271 billion in total sales
- 2010
- $1.128 billion in live animals
-
- $1.317 billion in beef products
- $2.445 billion in total sales
- 2011
- $0.890 billion in live animals
-
- $1.196 billion in beef products
- $2.086 billion in total sales
**Note: Some products imported from
Canada could be made from animals exported originally from the
United States. In addition, cattle shipments from Canada to the
United States may include animals transshipped through Canada from
Hawaii or Alaska.
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