Iowa Beef and Milk Cow Inventories Up from Last Year

All cattle and calves in Iowa as of January 1, 2022, totaled 3.85 million head, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service - Cattle report. This was up 150,000 head from January 1, 2021. Beef cows, at 925,000 head, were up 65,000 head from last year. Milk cow inventory was up 5,000 head at 225,000 head.

All heifers 500 pounds and over were up 2 percent at 850,000 head. Heifers for beef cow replacement were up 3 percent from 2021 at 160,000 head; heifers for milk cow replacement, at 120,000 head, were down 4 percent from the previous year; and all other heifers were up 4 percent at 570,000 head.

Steers weighing 500 pounds and over were up 2 percent from last year at 1.28 million head. Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over were unchanged at 60,000 head. Calves under 500 pounds on January 1, 2022, totaled 510,000 head, up 6 percent from last year.

The 2021 calf crop was estimated at 1.12 million head, up 9 percent from the 2020 calf crop. Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter in all feedlots on January 1, 2022, totaled 1.17 million head, unchanged from one year ago.

All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2022 totaled 91.9 million head, 2 percent below the 93.8 million head on January 1, 2021.

All cows and heifers that have calved, at 39.5 million head, were 2 percent below the 40.3 million head on January 1, 2021.

Beef cows, at 30.1 million head, were down 2 percent from a year ago. Milk cows, at 9.38 million head, were down 1 percent from the previous year.

All heifers 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2022 totaled 19.8 million head, 2 percent below the 20.2 million head on January 1, 2021. Beef replacement heifers, at 5.61 million head, were down 3 percent from a year ago. Milk replacement heifers, at 4.45 million head, were down 3 percent from the previous year. Other heifers, at 9.71 million head, were 1 percent below a year earlier.

Steers weighing 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2022 totaled 16.6 million head, down 1 percent from January 1, 2021.

Bulls weighing 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2022 totaled 2.11 million head, down 5 percent from January 1, 2021.

Calves under 500 pounds as of January 1, 2022 totaled 13.9 million head, down 3 percent from January 1, 2021.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for all feedlots totaled 14.7 million head on January 1, 2022. The inventory is up slightly from the January 1, 2021 total of 14.7 million head. Cattle on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head accounted for 81.9 percent of the total cattle on feed on January 1, 2022, 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 25.5 million head, was 3 percent below January 1, 2021.

The 2021 calf crop in the United States was estimated at 35.1 million head, down 1 percent from the previous year's calf crop. Calves born during the first half of 2021 were estimated at 25.6 million head, down 1 percent from the first half of 2020. Calves born during the second half of 2021 were estimated at 9.46 million head, 27 percent of the total 2021 calf crop.