Prime Beef Production Surges As Select Suffers

An article on Drovers

The amount of beef grading Prime has been increasing for a number of years. As Prime and Choice graded beef have increased, the amount grading Select has declined.

Over the last two months, the percent of beef grading Prime has been more than double the percent grading Select. More than 17% of beef graded has graded Prime in five of the last six weeks. Select grade beef has averaged 8.2% of all beef graded over that same period.

During the same six-week period last year, 13% of beef graded was Prime and 12% graded Select. The amount of beef grading Choice has experienced little change: 71.67% in 2026 compared to 71.64% in 2025.

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