July Red Meat Production Below Previous Year Level               
                                                                                
Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.12 billion pounds in July, down 3 percent from the 4.25 billion pounds produced in July 2008.
                                                                                
Beef production, at 2.27 billion pounds, was 4 percent below the previous year.  Cattle slaughter totaled 2.92 million head, down 5 percent from July 2008.  The average live weight was up 9 pounds from the previous year, at 1,282 pounds.
                                                                                
Veal production totaled 10.8 million pounds, 12 percent below July a year ago.  Calf slaughter totaled 79,900 head, down 9 percent from July 2008.  The average live weight was down 13 pounds from last year, at 230 pounds.
                                                                                
Pork production totaled 1.83 billion pounds, down 1 percent from the previous year.  Hog kill totaled 9.15 million head, down 3 percent from July 2008.  The average live weight was up 5 pounds from the previous year, at 267 pounds.
                                                                                
Lamb and mutton production, at 13.9 million pounds, was up 2 percent from July 2008.  Sheep slaughter totaled 207,400 head, slightly above last year.  The average live weight was 135 pounds, up 3 pounds from July a year ago.
                                                                                
January to July 2009 commercial red meat production was 28.4 billion pounds, down 3 percent from 2008.  Accumulated beef production was down 3 percent from last year, veal was down 3 percent, pork was down 3 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 4 percent.  More here, including state by state statistics at http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1096 .  



Dairy Cow Culling Remains Strong

U.S. dairy farmers sent 228,000 dairy cows to slaughter through Federally-inspected plants in July, USDA reports this morning. That’s 19,000 more than July of 2008 but 28,000 head less than June of this year.  The wild swings in numbers, a 9% increase over last July but an 11% decrease from June, is likely due the Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program. The 7th round of CWT took 105,000 head earlier this summer, but when they actually moved to slaughter depended on when auditors could verify individual herds.

Year-to-date, dairy cow slaughter is running 205,000 head above last year, a 14% increase.  However, USDA estimates dairy cows still on U.S. farms is down only 145,000 from a year ago, and about 120,000 head from January. The large number of replacement heifers currently available is allowing dairy producers to keep barns full to capacity-plus.



Turkey Production Plummets in First-Half of 2009

During the first six months of 2009, turkey meat production totaled 2.8 billion pounds, down 9.4% from the same period in 2008. Citing the most recent Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook from USDA's Economic Research Service, MeatPoultry.com reports that the production drop was primarily due to a decline in the number of birds slaughtered.

During the first half of 2009, the number of turkeys slaughtered was down 9.5% compared with the first half of 2008. There was also a small reduction in the average weight of birds going to slaughter compared with a year earlier.

For the second half of 2009, the forecast for turkey meat production is 2.94 billion lbs., down 6.7% from the same period in 2008 and 35 million lbs. less than the previous forecast. The turkey meat production decrease is expected to come primarily from a smaller number of birds slaughtered because the average weights at slaughter are not expected to be significantly different from the previous year.

During the first six months of 2009, the number of turkey poults placed for growout totaled only 141 million, down 9.6% from the same period in 2008 and 9.7% lower than the number placed for growout in the first six months of 2007.



Friday's USDA Cold Storage Report

Frozen food stocks in refrigerated warehouses on July 31, 2009 were greater than year earlier levels for cheese, pork, butter, eggs, beef, and turkey.
                                                                                
Butter stocks were up slightly from last month and up 7 percent from a year ago.
                                                                                
Total red meat supplies in freezers were down 2 percent from the previous month but up 7 percent from last year.  Frozen pork supplies were down 5 percent from the previous month but up 8 percent from last year.  Stocks of pork bellies were down 21 percent from last month but up 4 percent from last year.
                                                                                
Total frozen poultry supplies on July 31, 2009 were up 6 percent from the previous month but down 3 percent from a year ago.  Total stocks of chicken were up 4 percent from the previous month but down 8 percent from last year.  Total pounds of turkey in freezers were up 8 percent from last month and up 3 percent from July 31, 2008.    More here... http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/ColdStor/ColdStor-08-21-2009.txt .  



USDA KICKS OFF STATEWIDE FOOD DRIVE

The Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Rural Development, agencies of USDA, held the official kick off of their statewide food drive today at the Federal Building in Lincoln, Neb.

Nonperishable items will be collected at all the Nebraska USDA Service Centers during August 21-28, 2009 to help stock the Lincoln Food Bank and other food banks across the state, for those households in need. USDA employees are also encouraged to give back to their community through volunteerism at local missions, food kitchens, shelters and other organizations needing the support of volunteers.

Opening remarks at the kick off were presented by State Conservationist Steve Chick of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and State Director Maxine Moul for Rural Development. Guest speakers were Executive Director Beatty Brasch of the Center for People in Need and Executive Director Scott Young of the Food Bank of Lincoln.

USDA’s agencies in Nebraska have more than 900 employees in Lincoln and in area and county offices throughout the state.