WASHINGTON, DC – According to Brownfield Ag News, many ag economists expect to see continued contraction in the biannual cattle inventory report.
Scott Brown, a livestock economist at the University of Missouri, tells Brownfield total cattle and calves are projected to be down 1.2 percent and the calf crop is expected to drop about 1 percent. “To me, all of that spells some positive news as supplies of beef continue to shrink as we get further into 2022 and into 2023,” he says.
Brown says the average guess of beef cow numbers suggest a decline of 1.8% But, he tells Brownfield that drought conditions in any major cattle-producing area could cause even more herd contraction.
The biannual report contains the inventory numbers and values of all cattle and calves, number of operations and size group estimates by class and state, as well as the entire US. It also includes statistics on cattle on feed and grazing on small grain pastures, along with calf crop data.
The report was released Mon., Jan. 31.
