USDA Releases Cattle Numbers
Where have all the cattle gone... look around you won’t find many, why? I’m Susan Allen inviting you to stay tuned on Open Range to find out. The USDA just released the results of its annual cattle inventory and it was pretty darn stunning! We now have the smallest number of cattle in the United States since 1959. Apparently it has been the combination of high grain prices, drought in many of our key cattle producing regions and yes poor profit margins that have caused the demise of the American cow. The press has done a good job informing consumers of the plight of our nation’s dairy farmers and the fact that many dairy cows were slaughtered last year as dairies struggling to stay afloat and drastically cut herds. There is some light on the horizon ,the USDA survey reported that dairy heifer replacements numbers increased compared to the year prior leaving analysts to predict profit opportunities for milk producers in the coming year. In beef cattle the 2009 calf crop is predicted to be 1 percent smaller then the previous year, and while one percent seems minimal it means we now have the smallest calf crop our nation has seen since 1950. It would seem that all time low cattle inventory would generate opportunities for profit but according to ag economists the market is expected to view the USDA’s cattle inventory numbers as a tad bearish. Dang we were all hoping for a bull! I’m Susan Allen
