The USDA released its January 1 “Cattle Inventory Report” at the end of last week. The report told that all cattle and calves in the U.S. as of January 1 totaled 92.6 million head. This is 1 percent below the 93.9 million on January 1, 2010 and the lowest since 1958.
While the lower total inventory numbers weren’t too much of a surprise, analysts looking at the numbers were shocked by the fewer than expected heifers being held as beef replacements. This, they say, points to still higher cattle prices ahead.
- Beef replacement heifers, 5.2 million, down 5 percent.
- Milk replacement heifers, 4.6 million, up 1 percent.
And how did we look at home?
In the all cattle and calves category, Montana is down 50,000 head or 2 percent. Wyoming is down 20,000 head. That’s also a 2 {b5a992b8e63762954627fabd02ae0ce4cbdce5a7319b086354586c608f95fa42} decline. South Dakota is down 3 percent, having lost 100,000 head and North Dakota’s loss of 20,000 head represents a 1{b5a992b8e63762954627fabd02ae0ce4cbdce5a7319b086354586c608f95fa42} decrease.
For more from this report, visit the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service release.
© Northern Ag Network 2011
Haylie Shipp
