All cattle and calves in Wisconsin as of Jan. 1 totaled 3.2 million head, according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Cattle Report. This was down 150,000 head from the same time last year.
Beef cows, at 260,000 head, were down 20,000 head from last year. Milk cow inventory was unchanged at 1.27 million head. All heifers 500 pounds and over were down 9 percent at 680,000 head. Heifers for beef cow replacement were down 14 percent from 2023 at 60,000 head; heifers for milk cow replacement, at 530,000 head, were down 9 percent from the previous year; and all other heifers were down 10 percent at
90,000 head.
Steers weighing 500 pounds and over were down 10 percent from last year at 350,000 head. Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over were unchanged at 30,000 head. Calves under 500 pounds on Jan. 1 totaled 610,000 head, down 3 percent from last year.
The 2023 calf crop was estimated at 1.37 million head, down 3 percent from the 2022 calf crop. Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in all feedlots on January 1, 2024, totaled 220,000 head, down 8 percent from one year ago.
See a previous story on cattle inventory: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2024/02/01/what-does-lower-cattle-inventory-mean-for-you/
