By Blake Jackson
U.S. cattle inventory continues to decline, with the USDA reporting 86.7 million cattle and calves as of January 1, 2025, a one percent drop from the previous year. Kentucky's cattle numbers also fell by two percent, reaching 1.85 million, the lowest since 1955.
David Knopf, Regional Director of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, noted, "Beef cow numbers followed a similar trend, but there was an increase in the number of heifers for beef cow replacement."
Despite the drop in cattle numbers, high cattle prices and strong consumer demand provide some optimism. Kentucky's projected 2024 farm cash receipts stand at $8 billion, boosted by livestock.
However, experts say rebuilding the herd will take time. University of Kentucky's Kenny Burdine explained, "When you've got fewer cows out there and a smaller supply of calves, that also means a smaller pool of calves for backgrounders and stocker operators."
Land constraints and high land costs are also factors contributing to the decline. Burdine added, "We have lost a lot of pasture ground to row crops over the last several years." Cattle prices remain high, tempting producers to sell sooner than they would like, as Donovan Pigg from Kentucky Farm Bureau observed, "A lot of these cows have hit the market."
“Heifers on feed, are still running at 40 percent, so that doesn't indicate to me that we're retaining many of them,” Pigg said. “But I think we're in the stage to start potentially retaining or maybe buying some back, which could help in building this cow herd back.”
Photo Credit: gettyimages-erdinhasdemir
Categories: Kentucky, Livestock, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle