July 20, 2022: Dairy Week In Review

The latest USDA Livestock Slaughter report shows fewer dairy cows headed to market in 2022 than in 2021, despite higher beef prices. From January through May, 38,000 fewer dairy cows were  sent to slaughter, down about 3 percent from a year ago. That declining trend reversed in May, though, with dairy cow slaughter up 1,800 head or 0.8 percent from a year ago to 225,200 head. At  the same time, dairy heifer inventories are declining. USDA reported those inventories at 2.84 million head in January, down 9 percent from 2016’s peak of 3.12 million dairy heifers in inventory and a 17 year low in the US. Read More