There were 94.2 million head of cattle and calves on farms in the United States on 1 July 2026, up slightly on the same date a year earlier, according to the Cattle report published on 24 July by the Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

The count is one of the two national stocktakes the agency makes of the American herd each year, the other falling on 1 January. Taken together they are the clearest measure of whether the country's cattle numbers are rebuilding or still contracting.

To arrive at the figure NASS surveyed more than 17,400 cattle operators across the country during the first half of July. Producers were asked to report their inventories as of 1 July and their calf crop for the whole of 2026, and could reply over the internet, by post or by telephone.

The mid-year count carries weight beyond the United States. American beef supply is one of the inputs into world protein prices, and the size of the herd also shapes demand for feed grain — the maize and soybean meal whose export prices reach Bangladeshi poultry and dairy farms through the feed bill.

The Cattle report, like every other NASS publication, is available without charge on the agency's website.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service