United States Department of Agriculture

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2022 – There were 91.9 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of Jan. 1, 2022, according to the Cattle report published today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Other key findings in the report were:

• Of the 91.9 million head inventory, all cows and heifers that have calved totaled 39.5 million.
• There are 30.1 million beef cows in the United States as of Jan. 1, 2022, down 2% from last year.
• The number of milk cows in the United States decreased to 9.38 million.
• U.S. calf crop was estimated at 35.1 million head, down 1% from 2020.
• All cattle on feed were at 14.7 million head, up slightly from 2021.

To obtain an accurate measurement of the current state of the U.S. cattle industry, NASS surveyed approximately 34,800 operators across the nation during the first half of January. Surveyed producers were asked to report their cattle inventories as of Jan. 1, 2022, and calf crop for the entire year of 2021 by internet, mail, or telephone.

There will be a question and answer session during a live #StatChat on the @usda_nass Twitter account today at 4 p.m. EST to answer questions about the Cattle report. To ask a question, include #StatChat to the inquiry. The #StatChat is hosted bi-annually after each Cattle report is released.

The Cattle report and all other NASS reports are available online at nass.usda.gov/Publications.