Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook No. (LDPM-230) 17 pp, August 2013
2013 meat and poultry forecast increases year over year.
Beef/Cattle: Higher year-over-year commercial cow slaughter for the first 6 months of 2013 sets the stage for lower 2014 cow inventories, calf crops, and feeder cattle inventories. Impacts from Tyson’s suspension of purchases of cattle fed Zilmax may have only minimal effects on beef production.
Beef/Cattle Trade: The forecast for beef exports in 2013 was increased to 2.36 billion pounds due to higher exports during the second quarter. Beef imports totaled 192 million pounds in June 2013, a decline of 10 percent from the previous year. U.S. cattle imports continued to fall in June and are expected to decline to 1.95 million head in 2013, down 15 percent year over year.
