Slaughter numbers need live weight before they become meat-availability forecasts

The U.S. October slaughter report provides a signal often missed when volumes are read alone: fewer animals do not necessarily mean a proportionate decline in pounds. Commercial red-meat production in September was 4.32 billion pounds, 4% below a year earlier. Beef production reached 2.04 billion pounds, down 6%, while cattle slaughter fell 7% to 2.30 million head.