{"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","dataset":"definitions","count":1,"filters":{"source":"usda-ers-meatpacking-2024","sourceMatched":true,"sourceId":"usda-ers-meatpacking-2024","sourceTitle":"Concentration in U.S. Meatpacking Industry and How It Affects Competition and Cattle Prices","sourcePublisher":"U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service","sourceProfileHref":"/sources/usda-ers-meatpacking-2024"},"rows":[{"id":"def-meatpacking","marketId":"mkt-meatpacking","productBoundary":"Purchases of steers and heifers by beef packers","geographicBoundary":"United States, while cattle procurement often occurs in regional markets","measurementBasis":"USDA-reported share of steer and heifer purchases handled by the four largest beef packers","denominator":"All U.S. steer and heifer purchases represented in the USDA historical CR4 series","included":"The aggregate top-four packer share at published historical anchors","excluded":"Individual packer shares, hog purchases, regional procurement areas, cattle prices, and wholesale beef sales","metricFamily":"aggregate_concentration","definitionStatus":"agency_defined","crossMarketUse":"not_comparable","timeSeriesUse":"comparable_anchors","sourceId":"usda-ers-meatpacking-2024","dataYear":2019,"confidenceLevel":"high","methodologyNote":"Publish the USDA national CR4 anchors and withhold HHI until a complete individual packer-share distribution is public and citable.","limitations":"A national aggregate buyer-side CR4 is not an HHI, does not identify individual firms, and does not define the regional procurement choices facing a particular rancher or feeder.","marketSlug":"us-steer-heifer-meatpacking-purchases","marketName":"U.S. steer and heifer purchases by beef packers","marketShortName":"Beef meatpacking","sector":"Food and agriculture","geography":"United States / regional cattle procurement markets","marketNaicsCode":"311611","industryHref":"/industries/311611","crosswalkHref":"/markets/economy?bridgeMarket=us-steer-heifer-meatpacking-purchases&bridgeNaics=311611#market-industry-crosswalk","sourceTitle":"Concentration in U.S. Meatpacking Industry and How It Affects Competition and Cattle Prices","sourcePublisher":"U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service","sourceUrl":"https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2024/january/concentration-in-u-s-meatpacking-industry-and-how-it-affects-competition-and-cattle-prices","sourceAccessDate":"2026-07-19","sourceProfileHref":"/sources/usda-ers-meatpacking-2024"}]}