Latest Livestock Numbers from USDA NASS
Beef Cattle: Nebraska feedlots with greater than 1,000 head capacity held 2.61 million cattle on March 1, up 4 percent compared to last year (Figure 1). Nebraska remains the second-largest cattle feeding state behind Texas. Texas, Nebraska, and Kansas collectively contain 66 percent of the nation’s on-feed cattle inventory.
Figure 1. Cattle on Feed (1,000 head) and % Change vs. Prior Year
Source: USDA NASS
Hogs: Nebraska’s inventory of hogs and pigs on March 1 was 3.65 million head, down 3 percent from the prior year. The pig crop from December through February was 2.18 million head, down 1 percent from 2020. Nebraska is ranked sixth among states in the number of hogs and pigs. Iowa leads the nation with 23.8 million head.
Chickens & Eggs: Nebraska laying hens in February totaled 8.31 million, down from 8.84 million the previous year. Nebraska egg production in February was 189 million eggs, down from 204 million in 2020. Nebraska ranks 12th among states in egg production. Iowa leads the nation with production of 1.13 billion eggs in February.
Milk: Milk production in Nebraska during the fourth quarter of 2020 totaled 367 million pounds, up 3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2019. The average number of milk cows was 60,000 head, 2,000 more than the fourth quarter of 2019. Nebraska is not listed among the top 24 states for milk production.
Honey: Honey production in 2020 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 1.92 million pounds, down 5 percent compared to 2019. Nebraska contained 37,000 honey producing colonies in 2020, also down 5 percent from 2019.
