Cattle Slaughter and Inventory

Figure 1 shows weekly cattle slaughter by federally inspected plants since 2018. Over this period, cattle slaughter has largely remained between 600,000 and 700,000 head per week. The weekly slaughter value occasionally falls below 600,000; this typically occurs during the holiday season. One decrease in cattle slaughter, occurring around May 2020 as a result of the pandemic, stands out due to its severity and length.

Over this period, average weekly cattle slaughter by federally inspected plants has ranged from 613,900 head in 2020 to 645,100 head in 2022. The year-to-date 2023 average is 623,700 head. While slightly lower than averages in recent years, this value is roughly in line with pre-pandemic averages in 2018 (623,900) and 2019 (633,000).

Figure 1. Federally...