Mid-Year Cattle Inventory Down 3%; COF Down 2%

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s July 1 Cattle Inventory report, released Friday, found 95.9 million head, 3% below last year’s 98.6 million total.

All cows and heifers that have calved totaled 38.8 million head, 2% below the 39.6 million head on July 1, 2022.

Beef cows, at 29.4 million head, down 3% from a year ago. Milk cows, at 9.40 million head, unchanged from the previous year.

All heifers 500 pounds and over on July 1, 2023 totaled 15.0 million head, 4% below the 15.6 million head on July 1, 2022. Beef replacement heifers, at 4.05 million head, down 2% from a year ago. Milk replacement heifers, at 3.65 million head, down 3% from previous year. Other heifers, at 7.30 million head, 5% below a year earlier.

Steers 500 pounds and over on July 1, 2023, totaled 13.9 million head, down 3% from July 1, 2022.

Bulls 500 pounds and over on July 1, 2023, totaled 1.90 million head, down 5% from previous year.

Calves under 500 pounds on July 1, 2023, totaled 26.3 million head, down 3% from a year earlier.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for all feedlots totaled 13.1 million head on

July 1, 2023, down 2% from the previous year. Cattle on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head accounted for 85.5% of the total cattle on feed on July 1, 2023, up slightly from previous year. The total of calves under 500 pounds and other heifers and steers over 500 pounds (outside of feedlots), at 34.4 million head, down 4% from the 35.7 million head on July 1, 2022.

CALF CROP DOWN 2%

The 2023 calf crop in the United States is expected to be 33.8 million head, down 2% from last year. Calves born during the first half of 2023 are estimated at 24.8 million head, down 2% from the first half of 2022. An additional 9.00 million calves are expected to be born during the second half of 2023.

JULY 1 CATTLE ON FEED

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.2 million head on July 1, 2023. The inventory was 2% below July 1, 2022. The inventory included 6.73 million steers and steer calves, down 3% from the previous year. This group accounted for 60% of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.47 million head, unchanged from 2022.

Placements in feedlots during June totaled 1.68 million head, 3% above 2022. Net placements were 1.61 million head. During June, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 390,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 275,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 380,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 368,000 head, 900-999 pounds were 185,000 head, and 1,000 pounds and greater were 80,000 head.

Marketings of fed cattle during June totaled 1.96 million head, 5% below 2022.

Other disappearance totaled 69,000 head during June, unchanged from 2022.