Alabama Beef Cattle Facts

Beef cattle production ranks second behind broilers in cash receipts among Alabama farm commodities. Alabama cattle producers sold $499.9 million worth of cattle and calves last year. Cattle are produced in every county and cattle production represents a $2.5 billion industry in Alabama. The state’s climate and land are ideally suited for growing forages and raising cattle.

Cattle Numbers Increase; but Alabama Still Needs More Cows
On January 1 there were 1,340,000 head of cattle and calves on Alabama farms according to figures released by the Alabama Agriculture Statistics Service. This is a 3% increase amounting to 40,000 more cattle than last year. There were 714,000 beef cows that had calved in the state on January 1 which is 3% more than year earlier figures.

Nationally, cattle numbers increased to 94.4 million head, up 1% from year earlier figures. This is the fourth year in row with an increase in the U.S. herd inventory. There are 31.7 million beef cows in the U.S. which is a 2% increase over 2017.

Carcass weights have increased steadily from 550 pounds to over 815 pounds in 2017, resulting in much more beef being produced per head. Not only are the cattle heavier but these larger cattle are producing beef that is much leaner. This has resulted through improved genetics, nutrition and better management.

Value of Cattle Inventory & Hay Crops
The total value of cattle on Alabama farms in 2018 was $1,246 million. The value per head on January 1 was $930.

Alabama cattle depend on hay as a major winter feed source and cattlemen produce a lot of hay each year. In 2017 2.15 million tons of hay was harvested from 860,000 acres. The total value of the hay crop was $208.6 million.

Beef Demand Still Strong
Domestically beef demand has remained strong and globally the saw big increases came in the export market. This has added dollars to the pockets of our cattle farmers.

2016 was a strong year for beef exports with 2.62 billion pounds of beef shipped overseas which exceeded imports by more than 27 million pounds. The value of beef exports last year was a record high $6.34 billion which contributed to $262 head in the value of cattle coming out of the feedlot. Exports accounted for 13.7% of total U.S. beef production.

Eighth In Number of Beef Cattle Farms
Alabama ranks 15th among all states in the number of beef cows and 8th in the number of farms with beef cattle. USDA figures show there were 19,685 farms in Alabama with beef cows that have calved. Only Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Virginia have more farms with beef cows.

Alabama cattle producers primarily have cow-calf farms each year the calf crop is sold and shipped to stocker programs in the Midwest or directly feedlots for finishing A statewide network of 22 livestock auctions provide easy access markets to sell cattle.

Economic Impact of Beef Cattle in Alabama

Forage Number One Resource
Producers have the climate needed to excel in forage production. Rainfall averages exceeding 55 inches and a mild climate, insures nearly year-round grazing. The wide variety of perennial forages coupled with cool season grasses and clovers offer cattlemen the opportunity to wean heavy calves and also to carry these calves past weaning in a stocker program.

Montgomery County Leads in Cattle #s
According to USDA date, the top twelve cattle producing Alabama counties as of January 1, 2018 are: 1. Montgomery 75,000 head; 2. Cullman 62,000; 3. DeKalb, 61,000; 4. Lowndes 49,000; 5. Marshall, 42,500; 6. Jackson 39,000, 7. Morgan 38,500; 8. Blount 36,500; 9. Lauderdale 32,000. 9. Lawrence 32,000, 11. Franklin 30,000, and 11. Geneva 30,000. For more details about beef cattle statistics in Alabama, visit the Alabama Agricultural Statistics Service website or www.BamaBeef.org.

Alabama Has Top Purebred Producers
Alabama has some of the top purebred herds in the country. These outstanding seedstock producers supply a large selection of outstanding bulls annually. All of the major breeds are represented including Angus, Beefmaster, Brangus, Charolais, ChiAngus, Gelbveih, Hereford, Limousin, Red Angus, Santa Gertrudis, Senepol, and Simmental.

ACA Membership at 10,000
The 2017 ACA membership was 10,026 with 14 counties exceeding their 2016 membership. Franklin County was #1 in with 582 members followed by Limestone County with 502 members. These two counties have set the standard for recruiting members and have a great record of increasing membership each year. Completing the top five are: Lauderdale with 350 members, Cullman with 317 members, and Pike with 302 members.

Headquarters on Capitol Hill Houses “The MOOseum”
The organization is headquarters in a beautiful building located on Capitol Hill in downtown Montgomery. The $2 million facility includes a one-of-a-kind children’s educational center which tells the story of the beef cattle industry in the state. Over 5,000 school children tour The MOOseum each year learning about the state’s cattle industry and that beef is a safe, wholesome and nutritious protein for families to enjoy.

In addition, the building has a much in demand meeting room. The ACA, Alabama Junior Cattlemen's Association, Alabama Cattlemen's Foundation, Alabama Livestock Hall of Fame and Southeastern Livestock Exposition are headquartered in the Cattlemen’s Building.