Swiss Farmer: Fewer Cattle in North America

According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), both countries had 108.06 million cattle as of July 1, 2023. This was 2.88 million units, or 2.6% less than twelve months ago.

Beef cattle are scarce

American farmers were primarily responsible for this, with their herds reduced by 2.7 million animals, or 2.7% of the 95.9 million head of cattle. This is the lowest level in the last 60 years. In Canada, on the other hand, livestock numbers fell “only” by 180,000 animals or 1.5% to 12.16 million. This was primarily because beef cattle were excluded from production, as the number of dairy cows in North America was almost unchanged from the previous year at 10.37 million animals.

Of these, 9.40 million cows were raised in the United States and 970,000 in Canada. However, the number of cows used to replace older dairy cows declined in both countries, down 2.7% in the US and 1.8% in Canada. The USDA predicts that beef production in the country will decrease this year by 4.6% to 12.24 million tons compared to 2022 due to lower cattle numbers. Exports are expected to decline by 9%.

The reduction of pork was stopped

Hog populations in North America have declined over the past two years, but there are now signs of stabilizing at lower levels. According to the USDA, 86.17 million pigs were raised in the summer of 2023 in both countries combined; That was 55,000, or 0.1% less than twelve months ago. This means that population growth on the other side of the Atlantic is different from that in the European Union, where animal populations are low in practically all countries.

According to the most recent survey, breeding cow herds in the United States and Canada have barely declined; Compared to the same period last year, it decreased by 0.4% to 7.39 million dams. The USDA currently expects pork production in the U.S. to increase 1.0% this year to 12.37 million tons, surpassing beef production for the first time in a long time.