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