3-year drought would push US livestock inventory to a low not seen in 72 years

After three consecutive droughts caused by La Niña, the United States would have the lowest herd since 1951-52, at about 87.7 million cattle. Consequently, after a 2022 with record production, the amount of tons of meat obtained in 2023 would fall between 400 and 500 thousand tons. At the annual meeting of the American Farm Board Federation (AFBF for its acronym in English), economist Bernt Nelson, quoted by Michigan Farm News, assured that the shortage of pasture and feed resulted in a significant liquidation of the herd in the last three years. “We saw massive numbers of heifers coming into the market; that's been the story all year. When we take the driving force, breeding cattle, out of our inventory, that will lead to a smaller cattle herd for years to come,” he said. All eyes are on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report due out on January 31. Many analysts expect a 4-6% drop in inventory. (Read: Inventory of cattle cattle in the United States would drop in 2023) ...