Facts About the State's Beef Industry

• Pennsylvania farmers had 1,590,000 cattle and calves on January 1, 2009.
• During 2008, PA had 27,000 total cattle operations, including 12,300 beef cattle operations, ranging in size from 1 - 2,800+ cows.
• At the beginning of 2009, there were 75,000 head of cattle in feedlots in PA.
• PA ranks 20th in the country for beef production, 2nd in the country for veal production.
• PA has 5,000 feedlots feeding 1 to 1,000 head per feed lot.
• During 2008, PA produced 1,222.6 million lbs of red meat.
• PA boasts over 2,600 certified beef and dairy producers in the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program; BQA certifies producers in best management practices with classroom and hands-on training.