mn-press-releases
                            MINNESOTA AG NEWS

USDA, NASS                                 MN Dept of Agriculture
MINNESOTA FIELD OFFICE                     PO Box 7068, St. Paul, MN 55107
Douglas Hartwig, Director                  Phone: (651) 296-2230
Homepage: http://www.nass.usda.gov/mn/     E-mail: nass-mn@nass.usda.gov
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                                 CATTLE
                      Released: January 30, 2009                                     
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             U.S. CATTLE INVENTORIES DOWN, MINNESOTA UNCHANGED

Minnesota cattle and calves inventory was 2,400,000 head on January 1,
2009, unchanged from the January 1, 2008 inventory, according to the USDA,
NASS, Minnesota Field Office.  The U.S. inventory, at 94.5 million head,
was down two percent from the previous year.

Minnesota cows and heifers that have calved totaled 860,000 head on January
1, 2009, unchanged from last year.  Beef cows in the state, at 392,000
head, were down 1 percent and milk cows, at 468,000 head, were up 1 percent
from a year ago.  Nationally, the total cows and heifers that have calved
were 41 million head, down 2 percent from a year ago.  Beef cows, at 31.7
million head, were down 2 percent from January 1, 2008 and milk cows, at
9.33 million head, were up 1 percent from last year.


                                MINNESOTA              UNITED STATES
                                        2009 as                  2009 as
                                          % of                     % of
                           2008   2009    2008       2008    2009  2008
ITEM                       (Thousands)               (Thousands) 
All Cattle & Calves       2,400  2,400    100      96,035  94,491    98
All Cows                    860    860    100      41,692  41,005    98
  Beef Cows                 397    392     99      32,435  31,671    98
  Milk Cows                 463    468    101       9,257   9,333   101
All Heifers 500 Lbs.+       545    545    100      19,854  19,586    99
  Beef Replacement Heifers  100     95     95       5,647   5,526    98
    Expected to Calve        NA     NA              3,414   3,357    98
  Milk Replacement Heifers  270    285    106       4,415   4,410   100
    Expected to Calve        NA     NA              2,923   2,909   100
  Other Heifers             175    165     94       9,793   9,650    99
Steers 500 Lbs. & Over      445    440     99      17,163  16,774    98
Bulls 500 Lbs. & Over        40     40    100       2,207   2,184    99
Calves Under 500 Lbs.       510    515    101      15,118  14,943    99
Cattle & Calves on Feed     325    280     86      14,827  13,851    93
 
                                       2008 as                   2008 as                     
                                         % of                      % of                       
                           2007   2008   2007        2007    2008  2007                                                                                                                                      
Calf Crop                   840    840    100      36,759  36,113    98