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Virginia Beef Statistics
 Beef Industry in Virginia |
| Cash receipts |
$429.9 million |
| Number of cattle and calves |
1.6 million head |
| Number of farms with cattle |
25,000 |
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service
(Most recent figures, 2007) |
| Virginia Beef Cattle's National Ranking |
| 20th in number of all cattle and cows. |
| Source: NASS (Most recent figures, 2007) |
| Top 10 Cattle Counties (Ranked by total # of beef cows) |
| County |
Cattle |
| Augusta |
30,000 |
| Rockingham |
27,300 |
| Smyth |
26,000 |
| Scott |
24,000 |
| Wythe |
24,000 |
| Franklin |
23,000 |
| Pittsylvania |
23,000 |
| Bedford |
22,000 |
| Washington |
19,500 |
| Rockbridge |
17,000 |
| Russell |
17,000 |
| Source: NASS (Most recent figures, 2007) |
| Health Benefits of Beef |
| Half the fatty acids in beef are monounsaturated, the same heart-healthy kind found in olive oil |
Thirty-two percent of the saturated fat in beef is stearic acid, which studies have shown has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels.
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There are at least 29 cuts of beef classified as lean or extra lean according to USDA labeling guidelines. On average, these cuts have 6.2 grams of total fat and 2.3 grams of saturated fatty acids per 3-ounce serving.
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Beef is the No. 1 food source for protein, vitamin B12
and zinc. |
| Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association |
| Beef Up Your Knowledge |
Nearly nine out of 10 U.S. households, about 88 percent, will eat beef at home in the next two weeks.
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Steak, eaten plain, is the single most popular beef dish, eaten more than once a month by the average person. Burgers continue to outpace chicken nuggets served in restaurants by more than 2 to 1.
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The U.S. beef industry is made up of more than 1 million businesses, farmers and ranches, operating in all 50 states. In 2007, beef production reached 26.42 billion pounds and the beef industry was worth $74 billion.
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While the U.S. has less than 10 percent of the world’s cattle inventory, it produces nearly 25 percent of the world’s beef supply
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| The average U.S. household purchases ground beef an average of about once a month. Seventy-eight to 84 percent lean is the most popular type of ground beef purchased. |
| U.S. beef producers spend an average of $2 million on food safety research and technology every year. |
| Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association |
| Don't have a cow |
| A calf weighs about 80 pounds at birth. |
| Although a cow has no upper front teeth, it grazes up to eight hours a day, taking in about 100 pounds of feed—the equivalent of a bath tub full of water. |
| One 1,000-pound steer can yield almost 1,000 quarter-pound burgers, just from the normal cuts of meat used for
ground beef |
| Many medicines, including insulin and estrogen, are made from the glands of the cow. |
| Source: The Missouri Beef Industry Council |
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