COUNTRY PROFILE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2026 83 ume reaching 270 million tons in 2024, the U.S. feed sector stands as a strategic actor that determines global commodity balances. LIVESTOCK SECTOR AND ANIMAL PROTEIN CONSUMPTION While the U.S. livestock sector has historically been centered on red meat, a shift in modern consumer preferences and economic factors has led to aggressive growth in poultry consumption. According to USDA reports, total red meat and poultry consumption is estimated to have reached 227.3 pounds (103.1 kg) per capita in 2025. This figure is projected to rise to 230 pounds (104.3 kg) in 2026. This level of demand has accelerated the transformation of the livestock sector from traditional family farms into technology-driven, capital-intensive industrial complexes. Providing more than 80,000 direct jobs and contributing $18.5 billion in annual tax revenue, the sector remains one of the primary drivers of rural development. Beef and Dairy Sector: Historical Contraction and Price Pressure The U.S. beef sector is undergoing one of the most critical phases of a biological contraction cycle during the 2024–2026 period. The decline of the U.S. cattle inventory to 86.2 million head at the beginning of 2026 indicates that the sector has continued to shrink for the seventh consecutive year. Rising input costs, driven by a reduction in pasture quality due to drought and limited feed capacity, are prompting producers to direct breeding females to slaughter. While this situation increases slaughter numbers in the short term, it leads to a reduction in herd size and causes a decline in beef production in the medium term. According to recent reports, total beef production in the country, which was 26,001 million pounds (approximately 11.79 million tons) in 2025, is projected to decrease to 25,920 million pounds (approximately 11.76 million tons) in 2026. On the consumption side, per capita beef consumption, which was 59.2 pounds (26.9 kg) in 2025, is expected to remain around 59.5 pounds (27 kg) in 2026. The dairy sector exhibits a more technology-intensive and efficiency-oriented structure compared to the beef sector. The increase in milk yield per cow to 24,392 pounds (11,065 kg) in 2025 is a result of improved nutritional rations and herd management technologies. This yield is expected to reach 24,585 pounds (11,152 kg) in 2026. However, dairy farming operations are under significant margin pressure due to volatile milk prices and high interest rates. Current projections indicate that despite the decline in the number of dairy cows, the increase in yield per animal will drive total milk production from 231.5 billion pounds (approx. 105.0 million tons) in 2025 to 234.5 billion pounds (approx. 106.37 million tons) in 2026.
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