Lifespan increases in US due to young cattle shortage

The average age of the American herd is increasing due to a lack of young cattle. This is according to the trade journal Hoard’s Dairyman. In the past 65 weeks, 499,110 fewer dairy cows were slaughtered in the US than in the same period in 2021-2023. With a normal inflow of heifers, this would mean that the herd would have grown. However, the number of dairy cows is now almost the same as in August 2023, at 9.365 million. This means that the replacement rate must have fallen and that the average age of the cows must have risen. Massive use of beef bulls In the US, meat prices have been high in recent years. Prices of 600 to 800 dollars are paid for a newborn calf from a crossbreed (often Angus x Holstein). This encourages dairy farmers to use beef bulls en masse on their lesser dairy cows. But this also results in fewer young cattle and therefore a smaller inflow of heifers. According ...