December red meat production up on year

December red meat production up on year

Domestic red meat production during December was up on the year.

The USDA says production was 4.546 billion pounds, 2% more than December 2022, due to heavier weights for cattle and a faster slaughter pace for hogs. Beef production was 2% higher at 2.19 billion pounds, while pork climbed 5% to 2.388 billion pounds.

Cow and heifer slaughter levels were below both the previous month and year, while all categories of hogs slaughtered were above a year ago.