The wide variety of perennial forages coupled with cool season grasses and clovers offer cattlemen the opportunity to wean heavy calves and also to carry these calves past weaning in a stocker program.Īccording to USDA data, the top five cattle producing Alabama counties as of Januare: 1. Rainfall averages exceeding 55 inches and a mild climate, insures nearly year-round grazing. Producers have the climate needed to excel in forage production. USDA figures show there were 19,685 farms in Alabama with beef cows that have calved.Īlabama cattle producers primarily have cow-calf farms each year the calf crop is sold and shipped to stocker programs in the Midwest or directly feedlots for finishing A statewide network of 27 livestock auctions provide easy access markets to sell cattle. Overall, 2020 was a strong year for beef exports with 1.25 metric tons of beef shipped overseas, valued at $7.6 billion.Īlabama ranks 23rd among all states in the number of beef cows and 8th in the number of farms with beef cattle. Japan, South Korea and Mexico led this way in 2020 for tonnage of U.S. The total value of the hay crop was $218 million.īeef demand remains strong both domestically and internationally.
In 2020 2.33 million tons of hay was harvested from 750,000 acres. The value per head on January 1 was $1,200.Īlabama cattle depend on hay as a major winter feed source and cattlemen produce a lot of hay each year. The total value of cattle on Alabama farms in 2020 was $2.46 billion. This has resulted through improved genetics, nutrition and better management. Not only are the cattle heavier but these larger cattle are producing beef that is much leaner. which is a 1% decrease over 2020.Ĭarcass weights have increased steadily from 550 pounds to over 815 pounds in 2017, resulting in much more beef being produced per head.
There are 31.2 million beef cows in the U.S. Nationally, cattle numbers decreased to 93.6 million head, down 1% from year earlier figures. There were 697,000 beef cows that had calved in the state on January 1. On January 1 there were 1,290,000 head of cattle and calves on Alabama farms according to figures released by the Alabama Agriculture Statistics Service.
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