The much anticipated USDA NASS Cattle Inventory Report was released on Friday afternoon. Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays caught up with Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Dr. Derrell Peel to discuss its findings and their implications for the beef cattle industry.
“This is the biggest report we get all year in the cattle industry,” Peel said.
According to USDA, nationally, the January 1 cattle inventory is down 1 percent.
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, 202,5 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.
In Oklahoma, beef cows that have calved totaled 1,950,000 up 1 percent from last year. Beef heifers expected to replace cows totaled 340, up 1 percent from last year.
Steers weighing 500 lbs and over totaled 810, down 12 percent from last year. Bulls weighing 500 lbs and over stood at 150 head, equal to a year ago, and calves under 500 lbs totaled 850, up 3 percent from a year ago. The Oklahoma calf crop was up 3 percent from last year at 1,850,000 head.
“We have less cattle in the country is the main message here,” Dr. Peel surmised.
While it was noted that in addition to Oklahoma’s increases in beef cow numbers, Texas was up 1 percent from a year ago to 4,075,000 head, and Missouri was up 2 percent to 1,864,000 head. Dr. Peel accredited the growth in the Southern Plains beef herd to the improved forage conditions and increased hay supplies.
“Overall beef cow numbers were down, but in these leading cow calf states, it isn’t surprising to see a slight increase already starting there,” Dr. Peel said.
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 a capacity of 1,000 or more head accounted for 82.7 percent of the total cattle on feed on January 1, 2025, 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 Oklahoma Cattle on Feed Inventory was up 11 percent from last year to 365,000 head as compared to the national numbers, which were down 1 percent to 14,296.700.
“There are fewer cattle coming in as has to be the case because the calf crop is getting smaller, and yet feedlots held inventory so that was part of that slower turnover rate. In the short run, we held beef production pretty steady in 2024 compared to 2023,” Dr. Peel said. ” I doubt that we will do that again. We are back to predicting that beef production will probably fall… I’m going to say in the range of four percent on a year-over-year basis in 2025.”
As to indications of rebuilding the beef cow herd, Dr. Peel said that the best one can hope for is that numbers remain steady throughout the year because he sees little hope of growth in 2025. Be sure to click the listen bar at the top of the page to hear Dr. Peel’s complete audio analysis of the latest Cattle Inventory Report.
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