Dairy Cow Culling Flat in May

Dairy farmers culled 600 more cows in May than they did a year ago, an increase of just 0.03%, the United States Department of Agriculture reported this afternoon. But because there was one more business day in May 2016, the per day culling  rate was actually down 4.5%.

May culling was also down even more compared to April 2016, when 12,400 fewer cows were sent to market, for a percentage monthly and daily decline of 5.5%.

Year-to-date, 400,000 fewer cows have been culled through federally inspected slaughter plants, a decline of 3.7%.

Read USDA’s full livestock slaughter report here.