Livestock producers in Wisconsin had 3.4 million head of cattle and calves on their farms as of January 1--no change from the same time last year. According to the state's agriculture department, Wisconsin maintained its ninth place ranking in the nation for inventory of cattle and calves.
DATCP says Wisconsin's beef herd continued to increase during 2007 as farmers added 5,000 beef cows over the past year for a total of 270,000 head. Beef replacement heifers remained steady at 75,000 head. Steers weighing 500 pounds or more totaled 370,000, up 10,000 from the previous year. Cattle on feed for the slaughter market continued its upward growth in the state. Cattle on feed increased four percent during the past year, from 240,000 head in 2007 to 250,000 head in 2008. Calves under 500 pounds totaled 680,000 head, down 30,000 from a year earlier.
The official dairy cow inventory increased 5,000 head to 1.25 million head on January 1. After declining for many years, the state's milk cow inventory has risen each of the last three years. Wisconsin ranked second in number of milk cows. Only California had more. Milk replacement heifers rose to 665,000 head, up 10,000 from one year earlier.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin had an average of 14,400 dairy operations during 2007, down 500 from a year earlier. The most common size in Wisconsin continued to be 50-99 head, with 6,100 herds. There were 200 fewer herds in this group than in 2006, but it still accounted for 42 percent of all herds. The second largest category was 30-49 head, with a count of 3,600 farms. Farms with 1-29 head accounted for 1,900 milk operations, 13 percent of the total.