At the beginning of June 2021, the U.S. milking herd consisted of 9.503 million dairy cows. For seven consecutive months, these numbers would decline. At the conclusion of 2021, the U.S. herd finished at 9.375 million, a drop of 132,000 cattle since May, down nearly 1.5%. This resulted in a loss of 67,000 head year-over-year.
According to the USDA Milk Production report released late last month, states who lost the most cows in 2021 include:
New Mexico – Down 45,000
Washington – Down 18,000
Ohio – Down 10,000
Pennsylvania – Down 8,000
New York – Down 6,000
In contrast, states who added to their herds in that same time frame include:
South Dakota – Up 29,000
Wisconsin – Up 16,000
Texas – Up 12,000
Higher feed costs and intense drought out West caused some farmers to bump up their culling decisions, leading to a jump in dairy cow culling rates in 2021. According to the USDA, U.S. annual dairy cow slaughter reached 3.1 million head in 2021, 42,700 more than the year prior.
