Definition of Efficiency Displayed in Domestic Beef Production

(WASHINGTON, DC) Over the last 50 years, U.S. beef production steadily increased by 25 percent while the cattle herd decreased by six percent. According to the Economic Research Service (ERS), the decline in the number of cattle has been countered by a more than 30 percent increase in average cattle weights. The increase in carcass weights of steers and heifers represents 80 percent of cattle destined for harvest. Improvements in breeding practices have produced heifers and steers with higher growth rates and higher feed conversion efficiencies in pastures and feedlots. USDA forecasts beef production to reach record levels this year and again in 2020 – surpassing the previous record set in 2002 but with eight percent fewer cattle.