# Beef

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

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/

Livestock & dairy · No. 109

- Not on a critical list
- HHI 719 · unconcentrated
 Livestock & dairy · Foundation · Matter

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 herds**Breeding herds grazing on pasture
2. 2 **Grazing**Young cattle weaned and grazed
3. 3 **Feedlot**Finished on grain for weight gain
4. 4 **Packing**Slaughtered and cut into boxed beef
5. 5 **Distribution**Chilled or frozen to shops
 Covered in [What makes something a commodityCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/what-is-a-commodity/)[From ground to marketCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/from-ground-to-market/)[Soaps, detergents and agrochemicalsChemicals](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/chemicals/soaps-detergents-agrochemicals/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/beef/links/index.md)