
Kentucky, U.S. cattle numbers decreaseKentucky, U.S. cattle numbers decrease
• Total Kentucky cattle inventory was down 40,000 head from last year. Both beef cows and milk cows showed a decrease from the previous year’s level.• All cattle and calves in the United States as of Jan. 1, 2012, totaled 90.8 million head, 2 percent below the 92.7 million on Jan. 1, 2011. This is the lowest Jan. 1 inventory of all cattle and calves since the 88.1 million on hand in 1952.
February 14, 2012

The Kentucky cattle and calf inventory for Jan. 1, 2012 was estimated at 2.15 million.
Total inventory was down 40,000 head from last year. Both beef cows and milk cows showed a decrease from the previous year’s level.
Beef and milk replacement heifers decreased, while other heifers showed a slight increase in inventory.
Steers over 500 pounds were down from a year ago, but the number of calves under 500 pounds showed an increase from the previous year.
Cows and heifers that have calved were estimated at 1.07 million head, down 30,000 head from the 1.10 million for 2011.
Beef cow inventory was estimated at 995,000 head and milk cows were estimated at 75,000 head.
Kentucky cow inventory has declined in each of the past 5 years.
Heifers 500 pounds and over were estimated at 325,000 head, down 5,000 from last year’s estimate.
Beef replacement heifers totaled 135,000 head, down 10,000 from January 2011.
Dairy heifers, at 45,000 head, were down 5,000 from 2011. Other heifers, at 145,000 head, were up 10,000 from the previous year.
Steers 500 pounds and over numbered 200,000 head, a decrease of 20,000 from 2011.
Bulls 500 pounds and over were unchanged from a year ago and numbered 70,000 head.
Calves less than 500 pounds were estimated at 485,000 head, up 15,000 from the 2011 estimate.
Cattle on feed were estimated at 10,000 head, unchanged from the previous year. The 2011 calf crop was estimated at 960,000 head, a decrease of 40,000 from the previous year’s estimate.
All cattle and calves in the United States as of Jan. 1, 2012, totaled 90.8 million head, 2 percent below the 92.7 million on Jan. 1, 2011. This is the lowest Jan. 1 inventory of all cattle and calves since the 88.1 million on hand in 1952.
All cows and heifers that have calved, at 39.1 million, were down 2 percent from the 40.0 million on January 1, 2011. Beef cows were estimated at 29.9 million, down 3 percent from 2011 and milk cows were estimated at 9.20 million, were up 1 percent from 2011.
All heifers 500 pounds and over were estimated at 19.4 million, down 1 percent from January 1, 2011. Beef replacement heifers numbered 5.20 million, up 1 percent, milk replacement heifers numbered 4.50 million, down 1 percent and other heifers numbered 9.60 million, down 2 percent.
Steers 500 pounds and over numbered 16.1 million, down 2 percent and bulls 500 pounds and over numbered 2.10 million head, down 5 percent.
Calves under 500 pounds totaled 14.1 million, down 3 percent.
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in all feedlots totaled 14.1 million, up 1 percent. The 2011 calf crop was estimated at 35.3 million head, down 1 percent from 2010.
This is the smallest calf crop since the 34.9 million born during 1950. Calves born during the first half of 2011 were estimated at 25.7 million, down 1 percent from 2010.
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