The U.S. dairy herd in 2025 expanded at the fastest pace since the 1950s and reached a level that has not occurred since the early 1990s. Based on the USDA monthly milk production report for December, the milk cow herd totaled 9.567 million head, up from the prior month and 212,000 head from a year earlier. For the year, the average herd size was up 148,000 head from 2024. The cattle inventory report released by the USDA on 31 January, which counts both beef- and dairy-type cattle at the end of 2025, confirmed the increase. The milk cow inventory was 102 percent of the 1 January 2025 level. Dairy replacement heifers were 100 percent of last year’s level. The peak in the dairy herd count came in September when it was reported at 9.579...

TAGS – Livestock, North America