Northwest, U.S. Cattle Inventory Down Slightly

Latest numbers from NASS show the cattle inventory dropped slightly, both regionally and nationally. A report on U.S. cattle inventory shows 93.6 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of January 1st, slightly below the 93.8 million last year. Of the 93.6 million head inventory, all cows and heifers that have calved totaled 40.6 million.

All cattle inventory in Idaho was estimated at 2.5 million head, up 1% from last year. The number of cattle in Oregon came in at 1.25 million head, down 2% from last year. And in Washington, all cattle inventory totaled 1.14 million head, down 5% from January 1, 2020.

There were 31.2 million beef cows in the United States, down one percent from last year. The number of milk cows in the United States increased to 9.4 million. The 2020 calf crop in the United States was estimated at 35.1 million head, down 1% from the previous year's calf crop. All cattle on feed were at 14.7 million head, up slightly from 2020.

NASS surveyed over 34,900 operators across the nation during the first half of January. Surveyed producers were asked to report their cattle inventories and calf crop for the entire year of 2020.

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