U.S. Cattle Inventory Down Two Percent

The Cattle Report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service says U.S. farms contained 98.8 million head of cattle and calves as of July 1. Of the 98.8 million head of inventory, all cows and heifers that have calved total 39.8 million. There were 30.4 million beef cows in the U.S. as of July 1, two percent lower than 2021. The number of U.S. milk cows dropped to 94.5 million. The U.S. calf crop was estimated at 34.6 million head, one percent lower than in 2021. The number of U.S. Cattle on Feed is slightly higher than last year. The cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.3 million on July 1. That inventory level was slightly higher than July 1, 2021. The inventory included 6.9 million steers and steer calves, down one percent from last year.