Cattle Inventory Report – February 1, 2020

COLORADO

The January 1, 2020 inventory of all cattle and calves in Colorado totaled 2.80 million head, down 2 percent from the January 1, 2019 inventory, according to the January 1 Cattle Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. Beef cows, at 771,000 head, were down 21,000 head from the previous year. Milk cows increased 11,000 head from last year to 189,000 head. Colorado’s 2019 calf crop, at 830,000 head, is down 1 percent from 2018.

Other class estimates as of January 1, 2020 and percent changes from 2019 were as follows: Beef replacement heifers 500 pounds and over, down 3 percent to 165,000 head; milk replacement heifers 500 pounds and over, up 5 percent to 115,000 head; other heifers 500 pounds and over, up 2 percent to 580,000 head; steers 500 pounds and over, down 5 percent to 790,000 head; bulls 500 pounds and over, unchanged at 55,000 head; and calves under 500 pounds, down 7 percent to 135,000 head. The total inventory included 1.12 million head of cattle and calves on feed, up 7 percent from last year.

UNITED STATES

All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2020 totaled 94.4 million head, slightly below the 94.8 million head on January 1, 2019.

All cows and heifers that have calved, at 40.7 million head, were 1 percent below the 41.0 million head on January 1, 2019. Beef cows, at 31.3 million head, were down 1 percent from a year ago. Milk cows, at 9.33 million head, were down slightly from the previous year.

All heifers 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2020 totaled 20.1 million head, slightly below the 20.2 million head on January 1, 2019. Beef replacement heifers, at 5.77 million head, were down 2 percent from a year ago. Milk replacement heifers, at 4.64 million head, were down 1 percent from the previous year. Other heifers, at 9.71 million head, were 1 percent above a year earlier.

Steers weighing 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2020 totaled 16.7 million head, down 1 percent from January 1, 2019. Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2020 totaled 2.24 million head, down 1 percent from January 1, 2019. Calves under 500 pounds as of January 1, 2020 totaled 14.7 million head, up 1 percent from January 1, 2019.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for all feedlots totaled 14.7 million head on January 1, 2020. The inventory is up 2 percent from the January 1, 2019 total of 14.4 million head. Cattle on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head accounted for 81.5 percent of the total cattle on feed on January 1, 2020, up slightly from the previous year. The combined total of calves under 500 pounds and other heifers and steers over 500 pounds (outside of feedlots) at 26.4 million head, was slightly below January 1, 2019.

The 2019 calf crop in the United States was estimated at 36.1 million head, down 1 percent from last year’s calf crop. Calves born during the first half of 2019 were estimated at 26.4 million head, down slightly from the first half of 2018. Calves born during the second half of 2019 were estimated at 9.71 million head, 27 percent of the total 2019 calf crop.

All inventory and calf crop estimates for July 1, 2018, January 1, 2019, and July 1, 2019 were reviewed using calf crop, official slaughter, import and export data, and the relationship of new survey information to the prior surveys. Based on the findings of this review, July 1, 2018 all cattle and calves decreased by 0.2 percent. January 1, 2019 all cattle and calves increased slightly, all cows and heifers that have calved decreased by 0.2 percent, and 2018 calf crop decreased by 0.2 percent. July 1, 2019 all cattle and calves were decreased by 0.1 percent, all cows and heifers that have calved decreased by 0.2 percent, and 2019 calf crop decreased by 0.7 percent. State level estimates were reviewed and changes were made to reallocate inventory estimates to the United States total.

For a full copy of the Cattle report please visit www.nass.usda.gov.