NEBRASKA MILK PRODUCTION
Milk production in Nebraska during the January-March 2021 quarter totaled 360 million pounds, down 2% from the January-March quarter last year, according to the USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service. The average number of milk cows was 59,000 head, unchanged from the same period last year.
January-March Milk Production up 1.0 Percent
Milk production in the United States during the January – March quarter totaled 56.7 billion pounds, up 1.0 percent from the January – March quarter last year. The average number of milk cows in the United States during the quarter was 9.46 million head, 29,000 head more than the October – December quarter, and 80,000 head more than the same period last year.
IOWA: Milk production in Iowa during March 2021 totaled 474 million pounds, up 3% from the previous March according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Milk Production report. The average number of milk cows during March, at 224,000 head, was the same as last month but 5,000 more than March 2020. Monthly production per cow averaged 2,115 pounds, up 5 pounds from last March.
March Milk Production up 2.0 Percent
Milk production in the 24 major States during March totaled 18.8 billion pounds, up 2.0 percent from March 2020. February revised production, at 16.9 billion pounds, was down 1.1 percent from February 2020. However, production was 2.5 percent above last year after adjusting for the leap year. The February revision represented an increase of 36 million pounds or 0.2 percent from last months preliminary production estimate. Production per cow in the 24 major States averaged 2,104 pounds for March, 19 pounds above March 2020. The number of milk cows on farms in the 24 major States was 8.95 million head, 93,000 head more than March 2020, and 7,000 head more than February 2021.
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Record High Red Meat Production for 2020
Total red meat production for the United States totaled 55.8 billion pounds in 2020, 1 percent higher than the previous year. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. Red meat production in commercial plants totaled 55.7 billion pounds. On-farm slaughter totaled 94.3 million pounds.
Beef production totaled 27.2 billion pounds, up slightly from the previous year. Veal production totaled 69.3 million pounds, down 13 percent from last year. Pork production, at 28.3 billion pounds, was 2 percent above the previous year. Lamb and mutton production totaled 143 million pounds, down 7 percent from 2019.
Commercial cattle slaughter during 2020 totaled 32.8 million head, down 2 percent from 2019, with federal inspection comprising 98.1 percent of the total. The average live weight was 1,373 pounds, up 29 pounds from a year ago. Steers comprised 49.3 percent of the total federally inspected cattle slaughter, heifers 29.4 percent, dairy cows 9.5 percent, other cows 10.2 percent, and bulls 1.6 percent.
Commercial calf slaughter totaled 456,400 head, 22 percent lower than a year ago with 97.9 percent under federal inspection. The average live weight was 245 pounds, up 24 pounds from a year earlier.
Commercial hog slaughter totaled 132 million head, 1 percent higher than 2019 with 99.4 percent of the hogs slaughtered under federal inspection. The average live weight was up 4 pounds from last year, at 289 pounds. Barrows and gilts comprised 97.2 percent of the total federally inspected hog slaughter.
Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter, at 2.23 million head, was down 4 percent from the previous year with federal inspection comprising 85.1 percent of the total. The average live weight was down 3 pounds from 2019 at 125 pounds. Lambs and yearlings comprised 94.0 percent of the total federally inspected sheep slaughter.
By State (million lbs – 2020 total – 2019 total)
Nebraska …: 7,922.8 – 8,289.2
Iowa ………….: 8,960.4 – 8,624.0
There were 858 plants slaughtering under federal inspection on January 1, 2021 compared with 835 last year. Of these, 683 plants slaughtered at least one head of cattle during 2020 with the 13 largest plants slaughtering 54 percent of the total cattle killed. Hogs were slaughtered at 621 plants, with the 14 largest plants accounting for 58 percent of the total. For calves, 3 of the 172 plants accounted for 55 percent of the total and 1 of the 522 plants that slaughtered sheep or lambs in 2020 comprised 20 percent of the total head.
Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas accounted for 49 percent of the United States commercial red meat production in 2020, unchanged from 2019.
