For the most current coverage of the livestock
industry see the monthly newsletter Livestock,
Dairy, and Poultry. See also current
cattle and beef industry forecasts and the market
context in light of BSE developments.
U.S. Cattle and Beef Industry, 2002-2007
- 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
- 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: 28.0 billion pounds
2007: 28.1 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: $36.1 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
- 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: 1.144 billion pounds,
$1.616 billion
2007: 1.431 billion pounds, $2.175 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
- 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 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)
- Cattle inventory
- January 1, 2003:
- U.S.96.1 million, down from 1996
peak of 103.5 million
- Canada13.5 million head
- January 1, 2004
- U.S.94.9 million head (cyclical
low)
- Canada14.7 million head
- January 1, 2005
- U.S.95.4 million head
- Canada15.1 million head
- January 1, 2006
- U.S.96.7 million head
- Canada14.8 million head
- January 1, 2007
- U.S.97.0 million head
- Canada14.3 million head
- January 1, 2008
- U.S.96.7 million head
- Canada13.9 million head
- See all
U.S. and State cattle inventories
- Statistics
on meat animal production
- U.S. livestock outlook/situation:
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: $3.476 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 set new record, $4.16/pound
- Current cattle/beef prices:
- Retail beef
prices—annual, quarterly, monthly
U.S. Meat and Livestock Trade, 2002-2007
- U.S. meat and livestock imports/exports by
countrycurrent
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 |
52 |
105 |
660 |
786 |
1 |
4 |
239 |
415 |
2007 |
159 |
294 |
586 |
732 |
78 |
124 |
339 |
575 |
*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
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
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
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
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
Beef import share from Canada:
- 2002: 34 percent
- 2003: 25 percent
- 2004: 29 percent
- 2005: 30 percent
- 2006: 27 percent
- 2007: 26 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
Canadian beef markets: U.S., 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
- $2.015 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
- $1.357 billion in beef products
- $2.545 billion in total sales
- 2007
- $1.545 billion in live animals
- $1.228 billion in beef products
- $2.773 billion in total sales
**Note: Some products imported from
Canada could be made from animals exported originally
from the U.S. In addition, cattle shipments from
Canada to the U.S. may include animals transshipped
through Canada from Hawaii or Alaska.
Want More Information?
An
Economic Chronology of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
in North America
Did BSE Announcements
Reduce Beef Purchases?
International
Trade of Meat/Poultry Products and Food Safety Issues
Information on BSE from other USDA agencies:
Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service
Food
Safety and Inspection Service
Foreign Agricultural Service |