Beef

Meat from cattle, a slow-growing protein whose long herd cycle and grain appetite tie ranch, feedlot and corn markets together.

Livestock & dairy · No. 109

• Not on a critical list
• HHI 719 · unconcentrated

A steer needs about seven pounds of grain for each pound it gains, against two to three for a chicken or pig.

Chart: Illustration: Beef

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Beef begins with breeding herds on grassland, from US ranges to Brazil's cerrado. Calves are grazed, then often finished on grain in feedlots. Output was 69.7 Mt in 2024.

Three things to know

1. World cattle meat output rose only about 31% from 1990 to 2024, to 69.7 million tonnes.
2. Brazil led frozen beef exports with 28.0% in 2024, while India's 9.7% share is mostly buffalo meat.
3. Beef averages about 99.5 kg CO2e per kg at retail, including land-use change, against 33.3 for beef from dairy herds.

The journey

1. 1 Cow-calf herdsBreeding herds grazing on pasture
2. 2 GrazingYoung cattle weaned and grazed
3. 3 FeedlotFinished on grain for weight gain
4. 4 PackingSlaughtered and cut into boxed beef
5. 5 DistributionChilled or frozen to shops

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