The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has reported that the total number of cattle and calves on American farms was 86.2 million as of January 1, 2026. This information comes from the latest Cattle report released by NASS.
Within this total, cows and heifers that have calved made up 37.2 million head. The number of beef cows in the country decreased by 1% from last year to reach 27.6 million, while the population of milk cows increased to 9.57 million.
The estimated calf crop for the United States in 2025 was 32.9 million head, which is a decrease of 2% compared to the previous year. Additionally, all cattle on feed totaled 13.8 million head, representing a decline of 3% from figures reported in 2025.
To collect these data, NASS surveyed about 35,000 operators nationwide during early January. Producers provided their cattle inventories as of January 1, 2026, and their calf crop numbers for all of 2025 through various methods including internet responses, mail surveys, telephone calls, or in-person interviews.
The full Cattle report and other related publications can be accessed at nass.usda.gov/Publications.
