Wisconsin Cattle Numbers
All cattle and calves in Wisconsin as of January 1, 2025, totaled 3.25 million head. This is according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Cattle report. This was up 50,000 head from January 1, 2024. Beef cows, at 275,000 head, were up 15,000 head from last year. Milk cow inventory was down 5,000 head at 1.27 million head.
All heifers 500 pounds and over were up 5 percent at 680,000 head. Heifers for beef cow replacement were up 18 percent from 2024 at 65,000 head. Heifers for milk cow replacement, at 510,000 head, were up 2 percent from the previous year. All other heifers were up 11 percent at 105,000 head.
Steers weighing 500 pounds and over were unchanged from last year at 360,000 head. Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over were unchanged at 30,000 head. Calves under 500 pounds on January 1, 2025, totaled 640,000 head, up 2 percent from last year.
The 2024 calf crop was estimated at 1.37 million head, unchanged from the 2023 calf crop. Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in all feedlots on January 1, 2025, totaled 230,000 head, up 5 percent from one year ago.
National Cattle Numbers
All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2025 totaled 86.7 million head, 1 percent below the 87.2 million head on January 1, 2024.
All cows and heifers that have calved, at 37.2 million head, were slightly below the 37.4 million head on January 1, 2024. Beef cows, at 27.9 million head, were down 1 percent from a year ago. Milk cows, at 9.35 million head, were up slightly from the previous year.
All heifers 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2025 totaled 18.2 million head, 1 percent below the 18.3 million head on January 1, 2024. Beef replacement heifers, at 4.67 million head, were down 1 percent from a year ago. Milk replacement heifers, at 3.91 million head, were down 1 percent from the previous year. Other heifers, at 9.59 million head, were 1 percent below a year earlier.
Steers weighing 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2025 totaled 15.8 million head, down 1 percent from January 1, 2024.
Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2025 totaled 2.01 million head, down 1 percent from January 1, 2024.
Calves under 500 pounds as of January 1, 2025 totaled 13.5 million head, down slightly from January 1, 2024.
On Feed For Slaughter
Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for all feedlots totaled 14.3 million head on January 1, 2025. The inventory is down 1 percent from the January 1, 2024 total of 14.4 million head. Cattle on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head accounted for 82.7 percent of the total cattle on feed on January 1, 2025. This is up slightly from the previous year. The combined total of calves under 500 pounds and other heifers and steers over 500 pounds (outside of feedlots), at 24.6 million head, was slightly below January 1, 2024.
The 2024 calf crop in the United States was estimated at 33.5 million head. This is down slightly from the previous year’s calf crop. Calves born during the first half of 2024 were estimated at 24.6 million head. Down slightly from the first half of 2023. Calves born during the second half of 2024 were estimated at 8.93 million head. This was 27 percent of the total 2024 calf crop.
Revisions
All inventory and calf crop estimates for July 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024 were reviewed using calf crop, official slaughter, import and export data, and the relationship of new survey information to the prior surveys. Based on the findings of this review, July 1, 2023 all cows and heifers that have calved decreased by 0.3 percent and 2023 calf crop decreased by 0.1 percent. January 1, 2024 all cows and heifers that have calved decreased by 0.6 percent.
State-level estimates were reviewed and changes were made to reallocate inventory estimates to the United States total.