ATHENS, Ga. — All cattle and calves in Florida as of January 1, 2020, were 1.68 million head, unchanged from last year, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Southern Region Field Office. Florida highlights from the January 1 report follow:
- Beef cow numbers decreased 1 percent to 904,000 head. Beef replacement heifers stayed steady at 130,000 head.
- Milk cows were steady at 116,000 head. Heifers for milk cow replacement also were steady at 35,000 head.
Nationally, all cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2020 totaled 94.4 million head, slightly below the 94.8 million head on January 1, 2019. All cows and heifers that have calved, at 40.7 million head, were 1 percent below the 41.0 million head on January 1, 2019. Beef cows, at 31.3 million head, were down 1 percent from a year ago. Milk cows, at 9.33 million head, were down slightly from the previous year.
All heifers 500 pounds and over as of January 1, 2020 totaled 20.1 million head, slightly below the 20.2 million head on January 1, 2019. Beef replacement heifers, at 5.77 million head, were down 2 percent from a year ago. Milk replacement heifers, at 4.64 million head, were down 1 percent from the previous year. Other heifers, at 9.71 million head, were 1 percent above a year earlier.
— USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
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