1/10/2023 0 Comments Average age of water buffaloBeef cows graze on forage from grasslands to maintain themselves and raise a calf with very little, if any, grain input. These operations depend on range and pasture forage conditions, which in turn depend on the area’s variations of average rainfall and temperature. Throughout the United States, cow-calf operations are located on land not typically suited or needed for crop production. If additional pasture forage is available at weaning, then some calves may be retained for further grazing and growth until the following spring when they would be sold. Some of the female calves (heifers) and male calves (bulls) may be retained in the herd or sold to another producer. Following the weaning stage, calves can move through the value chain in several different ways. Most calves are born in the spring and weaned at 3 to 7 months. Cow-Calf OperationsĬow-calf operations mainly maintain a herd of beef cows for raising calves. The USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) provides information on cattle inventory in its semi-annual Cattle reports.ĭownload chart data in Excel format. As of January 1, 2022, the herd has decreased by 3 percent to 91.9 million cattle head. Since then, the cattle herd has grown to a peak of 94.8 million head in 2019. A 7-year liquidation of the national cattle herd ended on January 1, 2014, at 88.2 million cattle and calves, which was the smallest herd size since 1952. These combined effects increased feeder calf prices, which helped to improve cow-calf profitability. However, as each year’s calf crop shrank as the number of beef cows declined, progressively fewer feeder calves were placed in feedlots and, subsequently, fed to a particular weight and marketed for slaughter. Then, drought conditions decreased pasture and forage availability forcing producers to further cull cows and limit heifer retention at a more rapid pace accelerating contraction from 2011 through 2014.īy late 2013 and early 2014, grazing conditions improved and feed prices decreased. The herd expanded for 3 years to 96.6 million head until increasing feed and energy prices caused producers to reduce their herds. For example, the last full cattle cycle began in 2004 with 94.4 million head of cattle and calves, including both beef and dairy cattle. The total number of beef cattle in the United States is highly dependent on the stage in the cattle cycle.Īdverse climate like persistent dry conditions leading into drought can diminish pastures conditions and reduce harvested feed supplies, which can alter a cycle’s direction and duration. Also, cow-calf producers’ response to profit fluctuations may appear delayed because of the lengthy gestation period for cattle relative to hogs and poultry. Specifically, if cattle prices and producer revenues are expected to rise, producers may expand their herds if prices are expected to decline substantially, producers reduce their herds by culling older cows and keeping fewer heifers to replace older cows or to add to their herd. The cattle cycle averages 8–12 years, from low point to low point, and it is influenced by the combined effects of cattle prices and input costs that drive cow-calf producer profitability the gestation period for cattle the time needed for raising calves to market weight and climate conditions. The cattle cycle is a process in which the size of the national cattle herd-including all cattle and calves-increases and decreases over time. beef cattle industry is often divided into two production sectors: cow-calf producers and cattle feeding. In addition to having the world's largest fed-cattle industry, the United States is also the world's largest consumer of beef-primarily high-value, grain-fed beef. beef industry is unique when compared with countries like India that produce beef from water buffalo, which are used as dual-purpose animals. With rich agricultural land resources, the United States has developed a beef industry that is largely separate from its dairy sector. In 2022, cattle production is forecast to represent about 17 percent of the $462 billion in total cash receipts for agricultural commodities. Cattle production is the most important agricultural industry in the United States, consistently accounting for the largest share of total cash receipts for agricultural commodities.
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