Beef Industry Statistics

2012 Cattle inventory: 89,299,600 (USDA NASS)
Economic impact: $44 billion in farm gate receipts (USDA NASS)
Number of herds: 742,000
- 29.3 million beef cows
- 34.3 million head calf crop (2012)
- 90 percent of cow herds have less than 100 cows (avg. 44 head)
2012 beef exports: $5.51 billion (up 2% from 2011), 1.13 million metric tons (USMEF)
- Top export markets: Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Hong Kong
More than 50 percent of the total value of U.S. sales of cattle and calves comes from the top 5 states: (Jan. 1, 2012 USDA Cattle Inventory Report)
  1. Texas
  2. Nebraska
  3. Missouri
  4. Oklahoma
  5. South Dakota
Cost of production: from 1990-2003, feedyard cost of gain was $261/head; in the past four years, feedyard cost of gain is $494/head
Average producer age: 58, up from 56 in 2002 (USDA 2007 Ag Census)
33.6 million head of cattle harvested under USDA inspection (2011); 43.4 billion pounds of beef harvested under USDA inspection. Average live weight 1,277 pounds.
- Total cash receipts: $62.9 billion (2012 Agricultural Statistics Annual)
Per capital spending on beef in 2009: $261.90 (47.8 percent of per capital spending on all meat)