The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released their livestock slaughter  numbers for October on Thursday, reporting that commercial red meat production was down slightly from last year’s number, with beef coming in at 2 percent below October 2014’s count. Commercial red meat production for the U.S. totaled 4.31 billion pounds in October, down slightly from the 4.32 billion pounds produced in October 2014. Beef production, at 2.13 billion pounds, was 2 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.51 million head, down 5 percent from October 2014. The average live weight was up 35 pounds from the previous year, at 1,390 pounds. To read the full text of the report, visit www.usda.gov/nass.