# US cattle herd shrinks for third straight year | MEAT+POULTRY

> USDA's January 31 Cattle report put the total US cattle herd on January 1 at 91.9 million head, down 2% and the smallest since 2016, with beef cows at 30.1 million. Cattle on feed were 14.7 million head, up 0.2%.

- Date: 2022-02-24 · published 2022-02-24T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/42654-us-cattle-herd-shrinks-for-third-straight-year-meat-poultry
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

A shrinking herd and continued strong exports point to tighter beef supplies and potentially higher cattle prices. Smaller cow numbers reduce future feeder cattle supply.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2022-10-24 | [Live cattle futures jump to 7-year peak as U.S. herd shrinks \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8063-live-cattle-futures-jump-to-7-year-peak-as-u-s-herd-shrinks-reuters.md) | +1.0% | +2.8% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-05-29 | [Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low — and what it means for beef prices : NPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19389-why-the-u-s-cattle-herd-is-at-a-75-year-low-and-what-it-means-for-beef-prices.md) | -0.8% | +1.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-05-16 | [US herd slowdown good news for cattle prices \| Meat & Livestock Australia](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59050-us-herd-slowdown-good-news-for-cattle-prices-meat-and-livestock-australia.md) | -1.1% | -3.0% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-03-14 | [Cattle herd shrinks, prices go higher - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/25522-cattle-herd-shrinks-prices-go-higher-high-plains-journal.md) | +2.8% | +2.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2022-08-09 | [Shrinking U.S. cattle herd signals more pain from high beef prices](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39969-shrinking-u-s-cattle-herd-signals-more-pain-from-high-beef-prices.md) | +1.8% | +3.0% |
| FCATTLE | 2022-10-24 | [Live cattle futures jump to 7-year peak as U.S. herd shrinks \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8063-live-cattle-futures-jump-to-7-year-peak-as-u-s-herd-shrinks-reuters.md) | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-05-29 | [Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low — and what it means for beef prices : NPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19389-why-the-u-s-cattle-herd-is-at-a-75-year-low-and-what-it-means-for-beef-prices.md) | +0.1% | +4.8% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-03-14 | [Cattle herd shrinks, prices go higher - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/25522-cattle-herd-shrinks-prices-go-higher-high-plains-journal.md) | +2.9% | +0.9% |

## Sources

- meatpoultry.com: https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/26240-us-cattle-herd-shrinks-for-third-straight-year

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