So, how many people does one cow (= steer or heifer) feed in a year? Actually, for our purposes, let’s say the average "cow" going to slaughter weighs 590 Kg. (1150 pounds) and after the "waste" is removed, yields about 570 pounds (258.1 Kg.) of prepared beef for market sales. This is roughly half the live weight. How many "cows" does it take to satisfy the beef appetite for the population of New York City? (Population of NYC is about 9,000,000 (rounded)