WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — U.S. red meat production fell in 2025 as lower cattle and hog slaughter pulled total output below the previous year. Lower slaughter numbers helped tighten supplies even as animal weights moved higher.
USDA said total red meat production reached 53.8 billion pounds in 2025, down 2 percent from 2024. Beef production fell 4 percent to 26.1 billion pounds, while pork slipped 1 percent to 27.6 billion pounds. Lamb and mutton production edged slightly higher.
Commercial cattle slaughter dropped 6 percent to 29.8 million head. Hog slaughter fell 1 percent to 128 million head. Average live weights increased, with cattle up 33 pounds to 1,432 pounds and hogs up 1 pound to 289 pounds.
The packing sector remained concentrated. The 11 largest cattle plants handled 47 percent of total cattle slaughter, while the 15 largest hog plants accounted for 65 percent of hog slaughter.
Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas produced 49 percent of U.S. commercial red meat output in 2025. USDA also reported 1,127 federally inspected slaughter plants at the start of 2026, up from 1,089 a year earlier.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Lower slaughter numbers reduced 2025 red meat output even with heavier cattle and hogs.
Tony St. James, RFD News Markets Specialist
It is in there, the mold — those rich blue veins in creamy blue cheese that make you either love it or loathe it — but how does it get there? This bonus scene from “Clemson Dairy,” Season 4, Episode 4 of
Where the Food Comes From, explains how and why that happens.
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No, it is not some new college course — Clemson has been making blue cheese since 1941, and the product has developed a worldwide following and won some pretty big awards. With good reason — it is fantastic stuff. It is also fascinating to see how it is made. Check out this sneak peek look at the latest episode of Where the Food Comes From, “Clemson Blue.”
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The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, and the pampered cows get on-demand service. The team at Where the Food Comes From shares a special, behind-the-scenes account filming the show’s newest episode, Robot Dairy, premiering this Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, at 9:30 p.m. ET on RFD-TV!
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How does a robot milk a cow?
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The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, where the pampered cows get on-demand service. They make a premium cream line of milk you still have to shake. It is so good it is used to make the world-famous Clemson blue cheese.
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Today’s blog post by RFD-TV Agri-Legal Expert Roger McEowen takes a look at the “preferential payment rule,” a unique bankruptcy provision that can come as a suprise to farmers in financial distress.
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