La-Press-Release
Louisiana Agricultural Statistics Service
5825 Florida Blvd.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806
Phone: (225) 922-1362

                                  PRESS RELEASE

On: January 1 Cattle Report                            For Information Contact:
                                                                  Terry Mathews
For Immediate Release: January 30, 2004                          1-800-256-4485


                    LOUISIANA CATTLE INVENTORY DECREASES

All cattle and calves on Louisiana farms as of January 1, 2004, were
estimated at 850,000 head, down 1 percent from a year ago, according to
Dave Frank, State Statistician for the Louisiana Agricultural Statistics
Service in Baton Rouge. All cows that have calved were estimated at 530,000
head, up 2 percent from a year ago. Louisiana's 2003 calf crop was
estimated at 415,000 head, the same as the 2002 calf crop.

Beef cows were estimated at 489,000 head, up 3 percent from January 1, 2003, 
while milk cows, at 41,000 head, were down 9 percent from a year ago.
Other cattle inventory estimates and changes from a year ago were: beef cow
replacement heifers, 81,000 head, down 6 percent; milk cow replacement
heifers, 10,000 head, unchanged; other heifers, 17,000 head, unchanged;
steers 500 pounds and over, 21,000 head, down 12 percent; bulls 500 pounds
and over, 33,000 head, unchanged, and calves under 500 pounds, 158,000
head, down 7 percent.


                                      CATTLE INVENTORY - JANUARY 1
                                   Louisiana              United States
 Item                           2003 1/  2004          2003 1/       2004
                                Thousand Head        ----Thousand Head---
 All Cattle and Calves           860      850        96,100        94,882
 Beef Cows                       475      489        32,983        32,860
 Milk Cows                        45       41         9,142         8,991
 Beef Cow Replacements, Heifers   86       81         5,624         5,517
 Milk Cow Replacements, Heifers   10       10         4,114         4,020
 Other Heifers                    17       17         9,891         9,804
 Steers 500 Pounds and Over       24       21        16,554        16,280
 Bulls 500 Pounds and Over        33       33         2,248         2,206
 Calves, Under 500 Pounds        170      158        15,545        15,204
 Cattle on Feed                  ---      ---        13,220        13,811

                                2002     2003          2002          2003
 Calf Crop                       415      415        38,224        37,903
1/Revised