USDA released its semi-annual Cattle report on Jan. 30, including survey-based estimates of U.S. dairy cows, replacement heifers and heifers expected to calve within the next year.
As of Jan. 1, 2015, milk cows during the previous year were estimated at 9.307 million head, up 99,300 head (1%) from Jan. 1, 2014, and the highest Jan. 1 total since 2009.
Dairy replacement heifers (>500 lbs.), at 4.615 million head, were up 66,700 head from a year ago, and about equal to the total on Jan. 1, 2012.
Based on those estimates, there were 49.6 heifers >500 lbs. per 100 cows as of Jan. 1, 2015, up about 0.2 heifer/100 cows from 2014’s revised estimate.
Of those total dairy replacement heifers, 2.997 million head are expected to calve in 2015, up 30,500 from 2014. As of Jan. 1, 2015, there were 32.2 replacements expected to calve in 2015 for every 100 cows currently in the U.S. herd, about the same as a year ago.
USDA’s semi-annual Cattle report includes both beef and dairy cattle inventory estimates, based on January 2015 surveys of abut 38,200 livestock operations across the U.S.
| U.S. dairy cows and heifers, Jan. 1, 2014-2015 | |||||
|
Milk cows that calved (1,000 head) |
Dairy heifers 500 lbs. & over (1,000 head) |
||||
|
Percent of previous year (%) |
|||||
|
2014 |
2015 |
2014 |
2015 |
||
| Alabama |
9 |
8 |
89 |
4 |
3 |
| Alaska |
0.3 |
0.3 |
100 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
| Arizona |
192 |
195 |
102 |
74 |
65 |
| Arkansas |
8 |
7 |
88 |
5 |
4 |
| California |
1,780 |
1,780 |
100 |
750 |
750 |
| Colorado |
140 |
145 |
104 |
100 |
100 |
| Connecticut |
19 |
19 |
100 |
9 |
8 |
| Delaware |
4.7 |
5 |
106 |
2.6 |
2.5 |
| Florida |
123 |
124 |
101 |
35 |
35 |
| Georgia |
80 |
81 |
101 |
25 |
25 |
| Hawaii |
2.2 |
2.2 |
100 |
1 |
1 |
| Idaho |
565 |
579 |
102 |
270 |
300 |
| Illinois |
95 |
94 |
99 |
45 |
50 |
| Indiana |
178 |
181 |
102 |
68 |
78 |
| Iowa |
205 |
210 |
102 |
120 |
130 |
| Kansas |
136 |
143 |
105 |
100 |
80 |
| Kentucky |
68 |
63 |
93 |
45 |
45 |
| Louisiana |
15 |
14 |
93 |
5 |
5 |
| Maine |
30 |
30 |
100 |
17 |
16 |
| Maryland |
50 |
50 |
100 |
25 |
24 |
| Massachusetts |
12 |
12.5 |
104 |
7.5 |
7 |
| Michigan |
381 |
403 |
106 |
164 |
167 |
| Minnesota |
460 |
460 |
100 |
280 |
280 |
| Mississippi |
13 |
12 |
92 |
6 |
6 |
| Missouri |
90 |
89 |
99 |
50 |
60 |
| Montana |
14 |
14 |
100 |
9 |
7 |
| Nebraska |
53 |
54 |
102 |
20 |
20 |
| Nevada |
29 |
28 |
97 |
9 |
9 |
| N. Hampshire |
13.5 |
14 |
104 |
7 |
5.5 |
| New Jersey |
7 |
7 |
100 |
3 |
3.8 |
| New Mexico |
323 |
323 |
100 |
120 |
105 |
| New York |
615 |
615 |
100 |
355 |
350 |
| North Carolina |
45 |
47 |
104 |
20 |
18 |
| North Dakota |
17 |
16 |
94 |
10 |
6 |
| Ohio |
267 |
268 |
100 |
130 |
125 |
| Oklahoma |
45 |
40 |
89 |
20 |
25 |
| Oregon |
124 |
125 |
101 |
60 |
60 |
| Pennsylvania |
530 |
530 |
100 |
315 |
305 |
| Rhode Island |
0.9 |
0.9 |
100 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
| South Carolina |
16 |
15 |
94 |
6 |
5 |
| South Dakota |
95 |
98 |
103 |
50 |
65 |
| Tennessee |
46 |
47 |
102 |
30 |
25 |
| Texas |
440 |
470 |
107 |
220 |
240 |
| Utah |
95 |
96 |
101 |
46 |
48 |
| Vermont |
132 |
132 |
100 |
56 |
56 |
| Virginia |
93 |
93 |
100 |
40 |
43 |
| Washington |
266 |
277 |
104 |
125 |
133 |
| West Virginia |
9 |
9 |
100 |
5 |
4 |
| Wisconsin |
1,270 |
1,275 |
100 |
680 |
710 |
| Wyoming |
6 |
6 |
100 |
4 |
5 |
| United States |
9,207.60 |
9,306.90 |
101 |
4,548.70 |
4,615.40 |
| (Heifers expected to calve during 2015) |
2,966.70 |
2,997.20 |
|||
| Source: USDA National Ag Statistics Service, Jan. 30, 2015 | |||||
Source: Dairy Herd
