Beef Facts

Georgia-raised cattle descend from stock in Europe, Africa and South America.
Georgia cattlemen own approximately 1.3 million head of cattle worth more than $676 million. Annual cash receipts total more than $262 million, making cattle the state's sixth largest cash crop.
Because cattle are grown in all 159 counties of Georgia, the beef industry has a large impact on the state's economy (estimated at more than $2 billion).
About 71 percent of Georgia cattlemen are commercial cow-calf producers (they sell calves that are eventually fed to finish weight for beef); 21 percent are purebred cow-calf producers (they sell purebred cattle for breeding); and 8 percent are stockers (they buy calves, add weight to them and sell them to feedlots for finishing).
In Georgia, 87 percent of our 23,000 producers own less than 100 head. Yet this group owns only 46 percent of cattle. The other 13 percent of Georgia cattlemen (3,300 producers) own 54 percent of the cattle.
Cattle are usually sold through county or area livestock markets. Each animal is typically sold individually on a per-pound basis. More than 95 percent of all yearlings are shipped to the Midwest, where they are raised to finish weights.
With more than 6,000 members, the Georgia Cattlemen's Association, based in Macon, is the largest single-commodity producer group in Georgia and the sixth largest state cattlemen's organization in the United States.
Every day, 76 million Americans eat beef.
Every year consumers spend more than half of their meat budgets on beef, making beef the consumer meat of choice.
Hamburgers and roast beef sandwiches make up most of the beef servings consumed away from home.
A 1,000 pound market steer yields approx. 425 pounds of beef. Of the carcass, 99 percent is either used as meat or recovered as byproducts, both edible and inedible. Byproducts are used to make a wide variety of goods including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and clothing.
The average Georgia Cattlemen's Association member owns 123 head of cattle and owns or leases an average of 447 acres of land.

National Cattlemen's Beef Association: http://www.beef.org
Beef New Products: http://www.beefinnovationsgroup.com
Beef Culinary Center: http://www.beefandvealculinary.com
Beef Nutrition: http://www.beefnutrition.org
Beef Research: http://www.beefresearch.org/
Consumer Site: http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com
Beef Industry Information: http://www.BeefFromPastureToPlate.org

This Years industry at a glance……

GEORGIA

Georgia cattle and calve as of January 1, 2007, totaled 1.17 million head, were down 1 percent from January 1, 2006
All cows and heifers that have calved, at 660 thousand, were down 1 percent from January 1, 2006.
Beef cows, at 585 thousand, were down slightly from January 1, 2006.

Other class estimates on January 1, 2007 are as follows:

Beef replacement heifers at 77,000, down from 82,000 in 2006.
Steers weighing 500 pounds and over at 48,000, up from 41, 000 in 2006.
Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over at 33,000, down from 34,000 in 2006.
Calves under 500 pounds at 295,000, down from 300,000 in 2006.
The 2006 calf crop was estimated at 540 thousand head, down slightly from 2005.

UNITED STATES

All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2007, totaled 97.0 million head, slightly above the 96.7 million on January 1, 2006.
All cows and heifers that have calved, at 42.0 million, were down slightly from the 42.1 million on January 1, 2006.
Beef cows, at 32.9 million, were down slightly from January 1, 2006.
Milk cows, at 9.13 million, were up 1 percent from January 1, 2006.

Other class estimates on January 1, 2007, and the change from January 1, 2006, are as follows:

All heifers 500 pounds and over, 20.1 million, up 1 percent.
Beef replacement heifers, 5.88 million, down slightly.
Other heifers, 9.90 million, up 1 percent.
Steers weighing 500 pounds and over, 17.2 million, up 2 percent.
Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over, 2.22 million, down 2 percent.
Calves under 500 pounds, 15.5 million, down slightly.
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in all feedlots, 14.3 million, up 1 percent.
The combined total of calves under 500 pounds, and other heifers and steers over 500 pounds outside of feedlots was 28.3 million, up 1 percent.
Calf Crop Down Slightly
The 2006 calf crop was estimated at 37.6 million head, down slightly from 2005. Calves born during the first half of the year are estimated at 27.4 million, up slightly from 2005.