SALEM, Ohio — The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest summer numbers since 1973, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
The USDA Cattle Inventory July report found 94.2 million head of cattle and calves as of July 1, 2025. That’s down 1% from two years ago, and it’s the lowest number since the USDA began releasing the mid-year report 52 years ago.
The domestic cattle herd has been shrinking for decades. The January Cattle Inventory report showed the U.S. had 86.7 million cattle and calves, the lowest number of cattle since 1951. The July report reflects the seasonal changes in cattle herd numbers.
The USDA July report found that all cows and heifers that have calved totaled 38.1 million head, 1% below the 38.4 million head in July 2023. Beef cows, at 28.7 million head, are also down 1% from two years ago.
The 2025 calf crop is expected to be 33.1 million head, down 1% from last year. The number of cattle on feed was also down in the mid-year report. Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. for all feedlots totaled 13 million, down 1% from two years earlier.
In contrast, milk cows, at 9.45 million head, are up 1% from 2023. It’s the largest the milking herd has been since 2021.
The smaller national herd has contributed to historically high cattle and beef prices. The June average price for slaughter steers was $235.35 per cwt, almost $9 above the record set the prior month and $42 higher than the previous year, according to the Economic Research Service.
The average price of a pound of ground chuck was $6.10 in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Tariffs, new trade deals and the ban of imports from Mexico due to the New World screwworm are also impacting prices.
It would be interesting to see what states are declining the most and have any states increased production. Makes me wonder if the drop in quantity is due to states worried about cattle methane.
Glanced at the USDA quantities you referenced – the summer over winter seasonal increase this year was 7.5 million, the highest increase since 2019 & 2020 (only glanced that far back). It’s a shame the July quantities have dropped by 8.8 million since 2020 – that was really a screw-worm job over those years.