ATHENS, Ga. — All cattle and calves in South Carolina as of January 1, 2020, were 340,000 head, down 3 percent from last year, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Southern Region Field Office. South Carolina highlights from the January 1 report follow:
- Beef cow numbers decreased 4 percent to 179,000 head. Beef replacement heifers decreased 30 percent to 26,000 head.
- Milk cows were down 21 percent at 11,000 head. Heifers for milk cow replacement decreased 20 percent to 4,000 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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