Cattle:

    Virginia's cattle herd totaled 1.76 million head on January 1, 1998. This was down four percent from the previous year. Virginia remained ranked 18th in the nation. On January 1, 1998, there were 98.6 million head in the United States, down three percent from January 1997.
    Beef cows in Virginia totaled 720,000 on January 1, 1998, down three percent from 1997. Heifers for beef cow replacement, weighing 500 pounds or more, totaled 120,000 head. This was a decrease of eight percent from the previous year. There were 120,000 milk cows including those dry and being milked and 55,000 heifers for milk cow replacement, down 4 and 8 percent respectively from 1997. The 1997 calf crop totaled 780,000 head, down one percent from 1996. Cattle on feed for the slaughter market totaled 30,000 head on January 1, 1998, the same as 1997. A total of 34,000 farms in the Old Dominion had cattle, of which 27,000 had beef cows.
    The value of all cattle and calves on Virginia farms on January 1, 1998, was $915 million. The average value per head was $520. Cash receipts from cattle and calf sales totaled $344.8 million and marketings of all cattle and calves totaled 771,000 head in 1997. Cattle cash receipts rose from third place to second place behind broilers for the state in 1997.

Hogs:

    There were 420,000 hogs and pigs on Virginia farms on December 1, 1997. This was up five percent from 1996. Breeding hog inventory totaled 45,000 head. Market hogs totaled 376,000, up seven percent from the previous year. The 1997 pig crop totaled 667,000, down one percent from 1996. A total of 77,000 sows farrowed in 1997, down five percent from the previous year. The annual average pigs per litter for 1997 was 8.7. The number of farms with hogs totaled 2,100, down 100 from 1996. This compares to 2,800 hog farms in 1992. Virginia ranks 20th among all states for total number of hogs and pigs.
    On December 1, 1997, the hogs and pigs on Virginia farms had a total value of $31.5 million, down 16 percent from 1996. The average value per head was $75, down $19 from the previous year. Marketings for 1997 totaled 628,000 head. Cash receipts totaled $78.6 million. The average price received by producers in 1997 was $51.60 per hundredweight, down 60 cents from 1996.

Sheep:

     Sheep and lamb numbers in Virginia totaled 81,000 head on January 1, 1998, up one percent from 1997. Ewes one year old and older totaled 51,000 head, the same as 1997. Replacement lambs totaled 10,000 head, down 1,000 from the previous year. The 1997 lamb crop totaled 66,000, down six percent from 1996. Sheep and lambs on feed totaled 17,000 head, up 2,000 from 1996. Virginia moved up to 20th among all States for total number of sheep.

Virginia sheep and lamb values on January 1, 1998 was $8.1 million, up eighteen percent from 1997. The average value per head was $100, up seventeen dollars from the previous year. Cash receipts from marketings in 1997 totaled $4.76 million, down eight percent from one year earlier. .