overview
The United States has the largest fed-cattle industry in the world, and is the world's largest producer of beef, primarily high-quality, grain-fed beef for domestic and export use. Beef production is related to the cattle cycle, a series of peaks and troughs in herd size and production that typically lasts from 8 to 12 years. Because the cattle/beef industry is a major user of feed grains, beef production is also affected by grain supplies and prices. ERS analyzes conditions and events that influence supply, demand, trade, and prices in domestic and global cattle and beef markets.

contents

• Background
• Market outlook
• Policy
• Trade

features
ERS provides information on issues affecting domestic and international beef markets and has collected background data for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) coverage.

U.S. 2003 and 2004 Livestock and Poultry Trade Influenced by Animal Disease and Trade Restrictions discusses how animal diseases and disease-related trade restrictions have influenced trade in animal products in the past few years, with an emphasis on 2003 and forecasts for 2004. Disease outbreaks and related trade restrictions have slowed previously expected high growth in many U.S. animal product exports, with U.S. beef exports most affected.

Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook provides monthly analysis of current developments in the livestock and poultry industry, providing data on animal numbers, meat and egg production, prices, trade, and net returns. Beef is a featured commodity in February, May, August, and November.

recommended readings
Annual summaries of the forces that shaped the animal products industries during the previous year and how those forces are expected to affect the current year's outlook are available from the Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook page. Instead of providing a separate report covering all the commodities once a year, we will release summaries for the various commodities in the newsletter as information becomes available.

Beef and Pork Values and Prices Spreads Explained examines how marketing costs affect livestock and meat prices in the short and long run. Slow price adjustment explains most of the month-to-month changes in beef and pork price spreads.

Food Traceability: One Ingredient in a Safe and Efficient Food Supply describes the results of an investigation into the amount, type, and adequacy of traceability systems in the United States, focusing on the cattle/beef, fresh produce, and grain sectors. The investigation finds that these systems vary across industries as firms balance the private costs and benefits to determine the efficient level of traceability. For the full report, see Traceability in the U.S. Food Supply: Economic Theory and Industry Studies.

See all recommended readings...

recommended data products
Retail scanner prices for meat contains monthly average retail price data for selected cuts of beef, pork, poultry, lamb, and veal, based on electronic supermarket scanner data.

Standard summary tables provide average retail prices (weighted by quantity purchased) for meat cuts reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A searchable database, which contains a wider variety of meat cuts, allows users to create custom tables that can be saved as *.csv or *.html files. The tables report monthly weighted-average prices, an index of volume sold (with the monthly average for 2001=100), and the percent of volume sold with feature discounts.

Recent trade data are presented for major meats and livestock on a monthly basis, as well as year-to-date and annual, and for year-to-date imports under tariff-rate quotas. Revisions to the 2003 monthly data were released by the Department of Commerce in July 2004 (these updates have been incorporated into the year-to-date and annual tables). As of July 2004, the trade-related tables contain expanded coverage of additional variables and regions, with historical data available for these additions. Export data are for major U.S. markets; import data are for major supplying countries.

Meat Price Spreads contains data on retail, wholesale, and farm values for beef and the price spreads for these values, as well as information on average U.S. prices of some retail beef cuts.

Red Meat Yearbook presents monthly, quarterly, and annual data on commercial livestock slaughter and meat production; livestock and meat prices and price indexes; inventories of cattle, hogs, and sheep; and meat supply and utilization.

Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States (FATUS) provides U.S. agricultural exports and imports, volume and value, by country, by commodity, and by calendar year, fiscal year, and month, for varying periods, such as 1935 to the present or 1989 to the present. Updated monthly or annually.

Production, Supply, and Distribution (PS&D) contains official USDA data on production, supply, and distribution of agricultural commodities for the United States and major importing and exporting countries. The database provides projections for the coming year and historical data for more than 200 countries and major crop, livestock, fishery, and forest products.

newsletter
Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook provides monthly update on market developments and their influence on livestock production, prices, and trade.

related briefing rooms
Animal production and marketing issues
Canada
Mexico
NAFTA
Traceability in the U.S. Food Supply
Agricultural baseline projections
Farm income and costs
Food CPI, prices, and expenditures
Food market structures
Conservation and environmental policy
Global resources and productivity

related links
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Dairy, Livestock, and Poultry Division contains links to publications, charts, and information on international trade; includes the on-line publication Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) provides data on inventories, production, stocks, balance sheets, and prices by State and nationally, as well as current progress and commodity-specific reports.

Information on the Canadian livestock situation is also available through NASS and Canadian sources. These include reports on both cattle and hogs.

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides current cash grain and livestock prices, and market news.

World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) provides data on supply and utilization of beef and other livestock products and principal crops of the United States and other countries.

Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) facilitates the marketing of livestock, poultry, meat, and related agricultural products, and promotes fair and competitive trading practices for the benefit of consumers and American agriculture.

for more information, contact: Ronald Gustafson
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: August 25, 2004