Cattle Economics: Beef Cattle Slaughter and Production

Jul 23, 2025

By Dr. Andrew Griffith

There have been some articles written recently discussing cattle slaughter and beef production focused on certain implications of total beef production relative to changes in the total number of head slaughtered.

This article is not meant to replicate those articles, but rather to inform readers of actual slaughter and production numbers and how it influences some of the decision making in the industry. There is no way this article can address all of the implications of slaughter rates and beef production.

The most appropriate place to begin this discussion is with slaughter rates of steers, heifers and beef cows, but it is also appropriate to discuss dairy cow slaughter.

Federally inspected steer slaughter through the first 21 weeks of 2025 totaled 5.86 million head, which is a decline of 1.9 percent compared to the same time period in 2024.

Source : tennessee.edu

Video: Farm Health Guardian | Digital Biosecurity in Real Time

Disease risk, biosecurity, and real-time monitoring continue to be major topics across the pork industry. In this episode of Swine Web Industry Perspectives, presented by Farm Health Guardian, we discuss how digital biosecurity and real-time data are changing the way producers think about herd protection, people movement, and operational decision-making.

The conversation explores:

disease risk in modern pork production,

the impact of people movement on biosecurity,

the importance of real-time monitoring,

digital biosecurity technology,

and how Farm Health Guardian developed tools designed to support modern swine operations.

As the industry continues focusing on prevention, preparedness, and operational efficiency, connected technologies and actionable data are becoming increasingly important parts of modern herd health management.