WASHINGTON, D.C. – The combined U.S. and Canada cattle and hog herds have gotten smaller. That’s as both nations respond to weather issues leading to liquidation of cattle herds and attempts to improve profitability for hog producers, reports Brownfield Ag News.
A report from the USDA and Statistics Canada says that on July 1st there were 108.055 million cattle and calves in the U.S. and Canada, 3% lower than last year, most of that in the U.S. All cows and heifers that have calved were 2% lower, reflecting that liquidation, while heifer numbers were also below a year ago, which could be a sign of further contraction.
The combined hog inventory was 86.169 million head, slightly less than on July 1st, 2022 with declines for both the breeding and the market inventories, along with lower farrowings, but with a larger pig crop.
The next set of combined U.S. and Canadian livestock inventory numbers is out in March 2024.
