Growth in productivity in the US livestock industry since 1993 has been astounding by experts.

According to Carl Zulauf, an economist at Ohio State University, pig production increased by 68%, while dairy and broiler farms grew by 44% and 43%, respectively, beef production jumped 17% and egg production jumped 13 %

“In the simplest case, productivity increases when more products are produced using the same base herd or when the same result is produced with a smaller base herd. Dairy products illustrate the former, as more products come from the main herd, which has changed little.

Beef illustrates the latter, since approximately the same production comes from a smaller herd, ”said Karl Zulauf.

The economist also notes that between 1993-1997 and 2014-2018, the “dairy herd” in the United States decreased by 4%, and milk production increased by 38%.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, in 1993, an average of 15,754 pounds of milk per 9.7 million dairy cows. In 2018, there were 9.4 million cows in the country, which produced an average of 23,173 pounds of milk.

Pig producers also showed similar productivity gains. In 1993, there were 8.25 piglets per pig. Last year, this number increased to 10.7 piglets, that is, an increase of 30%.