Iowa has plenty of beef and dairy cattle and there is plenty for them to eat. Reports for ?Cattle on Feed?, ?Milk Production? and yearly estimates for hay all came out on Friday.
The United States Department of Agriculture?s Cattle on Feed Report showed that as of April 1st, 2018, Iowa had an estimated 740,000 head on hand. This estimate was up one percent from last month and ten percent higher than a year ago. March cattle placements were at 107,000 head. This was down nine percent from last month and eight percent from a year ago.
Iowa?s dairy production in March totaled 450 million pounds. This was up two percent from a year ago. The total number of milk cows was estimated at 220,000 head. This was the same as last month, but showed an increase of 4,000 head from a year ago.
The 2017 Iowa Hay Report showed an average statewide production of three and a half tons of hay per acre. The state?s northeast District led the way in alfalfa hay, producing 555,000 tons. Dubuque county came out on top with 109,000 tons produced. The south-central district paced the state for all other types of hay, coming in at an estimated 261,000 tons. Appanoose set the pace there with 19,300 tons produced.
