A livestock economist expects this week’s semi-annual Cattle Inventory report from the USDA to show a reduction in all cattle and calves in the US.
University of Missouri’s Scott Brown says beef cow slaughter for 2020 was 78,000 ahead of 2019 levels. “That tells me less cows in 2021. As well as when you look at the latest Cattle on Feed report, the percentage of heifers in the feed yard are sitting there at about 38 percent.”
He tells Brownfield that suggests cattle producers aren’t holding back heifers to build the herd.
