cattle inventory

January 1 Cattle Inventory Down 3 Percent

Dan Beef, Cattle, Marketing

cattle inventory

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their annual Cattle Inventory Report, and it shows as of January 1, 2023 all cattle and calves in the U.S. totaled 89.3 million head, 3 percent below the 92.1 million head on January 1, 2022.

All cows and heifers that have calved, at 38.3 million head, were 3 percent below the 39.4 million head on January 1, 2022. Beef cows, at 28.9 million head, were down 4 percent from a year ago. Milk cows, at 9.40 million head, were up slightly from the previous year.

According to a story from Gary Crawford, there were no real surprises in the report, as the beef herd continues to shrink.

USDA livestock analyst, Shayle Shagam says the numbers in USDA’s cattle Inventory report point to higher prices at every level of the beef chain.

The January Cattle on Feed Report did note the number of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. was 14.2 million head on January 1, 2023, down 4 percent from the January 1, 2022.