The U.S. cattle herd is rebuilding after years of shrinkage, said the USDA in the semi-annual Cattle report. Based on a survey of 50,000 producers, the department said there were 98.4 million head on ranches, farms and feedlots as of July 1, up 2 percent from a year earlier. “The last time [the] all cattle and calves inventory for July 1 increased was 2006,” the department said.
The number of beef cows was up 3 percent and the number of replacement heifers was up 7 percent from a year ago. Both of those increases are indications that owners plan to produce more calves and eventually expand beef production. It takes 18 to 24 months to raise a calf to slaughter weight. This year’s calf crop was forecast for 34.3 million head, up 1 percent from 2014.