More meat than ever — red meat production sets all time record

[Guest guest]

More meat than ever — red meat production sets all time record By Janie Gabbett on 3/7/2008 for Meatingplace.com Total red meat production for the United States totaled 48.8 billion pounds in 2007, up 2 percent from a year ago and setting an all-time record, USDA reported Friday. Beef production totaled 26.5 billion pounds, up 1 percent from the previous year.Pork production, at 22.0 billion pounds, was 4 percent above a year ago. Veal production, however, was down 6 percent and lamb and mutton fell by 1 percent. Cattle Commercial cattle slaughter during 2007 totaled 34.3 million head, up 2 percent from 2006, of which 98.4 percent were in federally inspected plants. The average live weight was 1,269 pounds, down 2 pounds from a year ago. Steers comprised 51.3 percent of the total federally inspected cattle slaughter, heifers

30.3 percent, dairy cows 7.4 percent, other cows 9.4 percent, and bulls 1.6 percent. Commercial calf slaughter totaled 758,100 head, 7 percent higher than a year ago with 98.2 percent under federal inspection. The average live weight was 303 pounds, down 39 pounds from a year earlier. Hogs Commercial hog slaughter totaled 109.2 million head, 4 percent higher than 2006 with 99.1 percent of the hogs slaughtered under federal inspection. The average live weight was unchanged from last year, at 269 pounds. Barrows and gilts comprised 96.5 percent of the total federally inspected hog slaughter. More slaughter plants USDA said there were 808 plants slaughtering under federal inspection on January 1, 2008 compared with 795 last year. Of these, 626 plants slaughtered at least one head of cattle during 2007 with the 14 largest

plants slaughtering 54 percent of the total cattle killed. Hogs were slaughtered at 618 plants, with the 11 largest plants accounting for 51 percent of the total. ------- Cary Birdwell HUMANITY IS THE VIRUS!

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.