In January, the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey cattle operations nationwide to provide an up-to-date measure of U.S. cattle inventories.
“This information helps producers make timely, informed business decisions and plan for herd expansion or reduction. It also helps packers and government leaders evaluate expected slaughter volume for future months and determine potential supplies for export, as well as aid in determining program and resource needs in times of emergencies” said Troy Marshall, Oklahoma State Statistician of the NASS Southern Plains Regional Field Office.
“Obtaining the current count of cattle will serve as an important decision-making tool for the entire agricultural industry,” added Marshall.
NASS will mail the questionnaires to all producers selected for the survey in late December. Oklahoma and Texas producers will have the opportunity to report their beef and dairy cattle inventories, calf crop, death loss and cattle on feed information. To ensure all survey participants have an opportunity to respond, NASS interviewers will contact producers who do not respond by mail or online to conduct interviews.
NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation can be identified.
Survey results will be published in the Cattle Report to be released on January 31, 2025. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/publications. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, visit www.nass.usda.gov or call the NASS Southern Plains Regional Field Office at 1-800-626-3142.
