Drought-accelerated herd liquidation the past two years has made the beef cow herd the smallest in 61 years. With continuing drought conditions, it is uncertain when, but it is certain that there will strong interest in rebuilding the herd whenever conditions permit. Leaving aside the question of more drought, what is possible in 2023 given current availability of replacement heifers?
The number of beef replacement heifers on January 1, 2023 was 5.16 million head, down 5.8 percent year over year. This follows a 5.5 percent year over year decrease in 2022. Beef replacement heifers…
