Cattle Ranching

Dan Agri View, Alabama, Cattle, Florida, Georgia

cattle ranchingEverett Griner talks about cattle ranching in the United States being a big business in today’s Agri View.


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In this video titled Cattle Ranching from Americas Heartland, reporter Sarah Gardner rounds up some Texas Longhorn cattle. These cows, however, aren’t in the Lone Star State. This roundup is happening in Ohio. A Kansas ranching family changes the color of their cattle to improve the brand. Law enforcement officials in California work to stop modern-day cattle rustlers. Rob Stewart travels to Idaho to meet a cattle ranching family that’s added elk ranching to their rangeland.

From: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Beef Industry Statistics

ranching• Number of farms and ranches specializing in beef cattle: 619,172 (USDA 2012 Ag Census)
• Number of cattle & calf operations: 915,000 (USDA 2012 Ag Census)
• Average herd size: 40 head
• Average producer age:  58.3 (USDA 2012 Ag Census)
• Economic impact:  $88.25 billion in farm gate receipts Cattle and Calves (USDA ERS 2014)
• All cattle and calves Jan 1, 2016, 92.0 million head, up 3% from 89.1 million head on Jan 1, 2015. (USDA)
30.3 million beef cows
9.32 million milk cows
39.6 million cows and heifers that calved, up 3% from 38.6 million previous year
2015 calf crop estimated 34.3 million head
Beef replacement heifers 6.29 million head

Top 5 states for all cattle and calves (2015)
1. Texas – 11.7 million
2. Nebraska – 6.45 million
3. Kansas – 6.25 million
4. California – 5.2 million
5. Oklahoma – 4.85 million

ranchingTop 5 states for cattle in feedlots with capacity more than 1000 head (as of Jan 1, 2016)
1. Texas – 2.43 million
2. Nebraska – 2.20 million
3. Kansas – 2.09 million
4. Colorado – .870 million
5. Iowa – .620 million

• 10.5 million head cattle on feed (Feedlots w/ 1,000 head or more head; Jan 1, 2016)
• U.S. commercial slaughter total was 28.74 million head (fed steer and heifer & non-fed cow & bull; 2015)
• U.S. beef production (commercial carcass weight) was 23.69 billion pounds. (2015) The total U.S. beef consumed was 24.807 billion pounds. (2015) Average annual U.S. retail Choice beef price in 2015 was $6.29/lb.
• Value of total U.S. beef exports (including variety meat) equaled $6.302 billion down from $7.135 (billion)
• Top export markets for 2015 (in order): Japan, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong, Middle East (U.S. Meat Export Federation)

2015 National Cattlemen Directions Statistics