CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — The National Agricultural Statistics Service, along with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, announced the 2023 commercial red meat statistics for the state in a recent report.

Commercial red meat production is the carcass weight after slaughter including beef, veal, pork, lamb and mutton. The production during March, 2023 totaled one million pounds, up 17 percent from March, 2022. Individual commodity production is total live weight of commercial slaughter.

Commercial cattle slaughter totaled 1,477,000 pounds live weight, up 13 percent from March 2022. Cattle slaughter totaled 1,300 head, up 200 head from the previous year. The average live weight was down 22 pounds from the previous year, at 1,130 pounds.

Commercial hog slaughter totaled 228,000 pounds live weight, up 50 percent from last year. Hog slaughter totaled 800 head, up 300 head from the previous year. The average live weight was down 25 pounds from the previous year, at 299 pounds.

Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.91 billion pounds in March, down 1 percent from the 4.98 billion pounds produced in March 2022. For more West Virginia statistics for 2023 visit USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service West Virginia website.