# U.S. Cattle Inventory Smallest in 73 years | Farm Bureau Intel Markets | American Farm Bureau Federation

> USDA's January 1 Cattle inventory showed 87.2 million head, the lowest Jan. 1 total since 1951. The beef cow herd of 28.2 million head is the smallest since 1951 and the calf crop of 33.6 million head is the smallest since 1948. Drought and high input costs drove producers to sell more females.

- Date: 2024-02-05 · published 2024-02-05T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/31619-u-s-cattle-inventory-smallest-in-73-years-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

The record-low herd and calf crop point to tight feeder and fed cattle supplies through 2024, supporting prices. The analysis reinforces the bullish outlook for beef cattle markets.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2021-02-04 | [January Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed Reports \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48571-january-cattle-inventory-and-cattle-on-feed-reports-farm-bureau-intel-markets.md) | +0.8% | +2.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-02-10 | [Smaller Cattle Herd Creates Market Volatility \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20724-smaller-cattle-herd-creates-market-volatility-farm-bureau-intel-markets.md) | +1.7% | -2.2% |
| LCATTLE | 2023-02-02 | [Semiannual Cattle Inventory and Cattle Contract Library Set the Tone for the 2023 Marketing Year \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10215-semiannual-cattle-inventory-and-cattle-contract-library-set-the-tone-for-the.md) | +1.7% | +4.8% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-05-19 | [Meat Demand Sizzles as Memorial Day Nears \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19203-meat-demand-sizzles-as-memorial-day-nears-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american.md) | -1.7% | -2.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2024-10-30 | [Farm Bureau: Low Inventory Leads to Uncertainty in Cattle Markets \| American Ag Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8085-farm-bureau-low-inventory-leads-to-uncertainty-in-cattle-markets-american-ag.md) | -1.3% | -1.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-02-10 | [Smaller Cattle Herd Creates Market Volatility \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20724-smaller-cattle-herd-creates-market-volatility-farm-bureau-intel-markets.md) | +1.0% | -3.8% |
| FCATTLE | 2023-02-02 | [Semiannual Cattle Inventory and Cattle Contract Library Set the Tone for the 2023 Marketing Year \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10215-semiannual-cattle-inventory-and-cattle-contract-library-set-the-tone-for-the.md) | +1.7% | +2.9% |
| FCATTLE | 2017-11-20 | [Cattle on Feed Continues Strong Placements \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68133-cattle-on-feed-continues-strong-placements-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american.md) | +1.8% | -2.7% |

## Sources

- fb.org: https://www.fb.org/intel/markets/u-s-cattle-inventory-smallest-in-73-years

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