Animal Production & Aquaculture

Animal Production and Aquaculture (NAICS 112) covers establishments that raise livestock, produce animal products, and farm aquatic organisms. The U.S. animal production sector supplies the raw inputs for the nation's meat packing, dairy processing, and seafood industries, with cattle, dairy, poultry, and hogs collectively generating the dominant share of agricultural cash receipts.

The cattle industry stretches from western rangelands through Midwestern feedlots concentrated in Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska, while poultry and hog production have consolidated into vertically integrated systems dominated by Tyson Foods, JBS USA, and Smithfield Foods across the Southeast and Midwest. Dairy farming remains anchored in Wisconsin, California, Idaho, and the Northeast, with cooperatives like Dairy Farmers of America aggregating output from thousands of independent producers. Feed costs — particularly corn and soybean meal — represent the single largest variable expense for most livestock producers, tightly linking this sector to crop commodity markets.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the FDA regulate animal welfare standards, antibiotic use under the Veterinary Feed Directive, and food safety compliance. Environmental rules under the Clean Water Act govern waste discharge from concentrated animal feeding operations. Trade policy is material: the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and bilateral deals with Japan and South Korea shape export access for beef, pork, and poultry, with the U.S. ranking among the world's top exporters in all three categories.