U.S. Department of Agriculture Forecasts More Red Meat and Poultry Production In 2013

Oct 12, 2012

USDA World Agriculture Outlook Board Oct. 2012 Report

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that red meat and poultry production will rise slightly for 2013. The USDA predicts that the supply of beef will be lower next year due to the drought conditions from this past summer and that will mean that poultry and pork production will rise slightly to offset the projected lower beef production. The department is also forecasting less beef imports for the remainder of 2012, largely due to less imports coming from Canada.

The World Agriculture Outlook Board report (WAOB) notes that beef exports are expected to be unchanged for 2012-2013 and pork expectations remain unchanged for the remainder of 2012, but are expected to rise slightly in 2013. Poultry export forecasts remain unchanged for 2012 and 2013.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.