# The US Cowherd Now Has the Fewest Beef Cows Ever

> USDA's cattle inventory report showed 28.9 million beef cows in the U.S., the fewest on record and below 2014 levels. Most top beef-cow states saw year-over-year declines, with only Missouri unchanged.

- Date: 2023-02-03 · published 2023-02-03T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/10214-the-us-cowherd-now-has-the-fewest-beef-cows-ever
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

A record-low beef cow base signals tighter future beef supply, which supports cattle and feeder prices over the coming years.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2023-02-06 | 1 | +1.1% | 3.4 | The record-low beef cow count reinforces the tight-supply narrative behind the buying, though it was published before the move. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2022-02-22 | [US beef cow herd declines
						 \| The Cattle Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42850-us-beef-cow-herd-declines-the-cattle-site.md) | -0.7% | -2.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2023-01-31 | [U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37722-u-s-beef-cow-herd-falls-to-lowest-level-since-1962-usda-says.md) | +1.6% | +4.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-05-07 | [Texas has the largest cow herds in the US - Department of Animal Science](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59052-texas-has-the-largest-cow-herds-in-the-us-department-of-animal-science.md) | -2.5% | -5.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2024-08-02 | [Beef market update: Effects of the contracting herd in the US are felt globally \| AHDB](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28718-beef-market-update-effects-of-the-contracting-herd-in-the-us-are-felt-globally.md) | -0.9% | -2.5% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-07-28 | [US cattle futures rise on record-low herd, tight supply - CME
						 \| The Beef Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23895-us-cattle-futures-rise-on-record-low-herd-tight-supply-cme-the-beef-site.md) | +1.1% | +3.8% |
| FCATTLE | 2022-02-22 | [US beef cow herd declines
						 \| The Cattle Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42850-us-beef-cow-herd-declines-the-cattle-site.md) | -4.7% | -5.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2023-01-31 | [U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37722-u-s-beef-cow-herd-falls-to-lowest-level-since-1962-usda-says.md) | +2.1% | +3.2% |
| FCATTLE | 2019-05-07 | [Texas has the largest cow herds in the US - Department of Animal Science](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59052-texas-has-the-largest-cow-herds-in-the-us-department-of-animal-science.md) | -0.7% | +1.0% |

## Sources

- dtnpf.com: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2023/02/01/us-cowherd-now-fewest-beef-cows-ever

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.