(NAFB.com) – Red meat output in April fell 1% from the same month in 2024, according to a report from the Ag Department. Production in the U.S. totaled 4.6 billion pounds last month, down from 4.64 billion a year earlier, the agency said in a monthly report. Beef output was reported at 2.24 billion pounds, up 3% year over year, as cattle slaughter dropped 6% to 2.57 million head. The average live weight was up 36 pounds to 1,431 pounds. Pork production, meanwhile, rose 1% from the previous year to 2.34 billion pounds in April, USDA said. Hog slaughter also rose 1%, reaching 10.8 million head, and average weight was up a pound to 291 pounds. Veal output plunged 39% to 2.1 million pounds, while lamb and mutton production jumped 13% to 12.8 million pounds. Commercial red meat output from Jan. 1 through the end of April totaled 18.1 billion pounds, down 1% from the same timeframe last year, the agency said.
