USDA plans annual cattle survey

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will survey more than 40,000 cattle operations nationwide next month.

As cattle prices have rebounded and feed costs have declined, the updated numbers are expected to show that producers have ben rebuilding their herds from last year's level, which was the lowest in 60 years.

'In January 2014, Iowa's cattle inventory of 3.7 million head ranked seventh in the United States,” said Greg Thessen, director of the Upper Midwest Regional Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. 'Of the total cattle inventory, 1.23 million were cattle and calves on feed, which ranked Iowa fourth in the nation.

'Obtaining the current count of cattle will serve as a critical decision-making tool for producers and the entire agriculture industry.”

During the first two weeks of January, Iowa producers will have the opportunity to report their beef and dairy cattle inventories, calf crop, losses due to death, and the number of cattle on feed.

'This information helps producers to make timely, informed marketing decisions and to plan for herd expansion or reduction,” Thessen said. 'The information also helps promote exports, inform the public about the industry, and determine expected future slaughter volume.”

The information provided by producers is confidential by law. The National Agricultural Statistics Service publishes only state- and national-level data, ensuring that no individual producer or operation can be identified.

The cattle report will be released on Jan. 30, 2015.