Canada’s cattle herd shrunk over the past year while the hog herd rose and the sheep flock contracted.
Statistics Canada released its livestock inventory report Wednedsay.
The following is the text of the report.
“Canadian farmers reported 12.2 million cattle on their farms as of Jan. 1, down 0.7 percent from Jan. 1, 2013.
“Hog producers reported 12.7 million hogs, a 1.1 percent increase over Jan. 1, 2013, while the number of sheep fell one percent to 893,000 head.
“Overall, cattle prices rose and feed costs declined in the second half of 2013. However, this did not translate into farmers increasing their herd.
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“The 0.7 percent decline in cattle reported on Jan. 1 offset the modest gains observed on the same date in each of the previous two years.
“Cattle inventories have been stable recently following several years of steady decline.
“The cattle herd at Jan. 1 sat 18.2 percent below its peak level seen on Jan. 1, 2005.
“The year-over-year decline in cattle inventories was attributable to a decrease in the number of beef cows and calves, while total slaughter and exports grew during the second half of 2013.
“The number of beef cows on Canadian farms fell 0.8 percent to just over 3.9 million head, continuing the downward trend that began in Jan. 2006.
“The number of calves fell 1one percent to 3.9 million head.
“The number of beef heifers held for breeding edged up 0.1 percent from Jan. 2013 to 542,300 head, following three consecutive year-over-year increases.
“Canadian farmers had 1.4 million dairy cows and heifers on their farms, down 0.5 percent from Jan. 1, 2013.
“As of Jan. 1, 82,665 farms reported cattle and calves, down 1.5 percent from Jan. 1, 2013, and down 2.8 percent from the same date in 2012.
“Cattle and calf slaughter declined 2.2 percent to three million head in 2013, with slaughter numbers down in Eastern Canada and up slightly in the West.
“Cattle and calf exports increased for the second consecutive year, up 28 percent from 2012 to 1,047,700 head in 2013.
“However, exports were 37.9 percent below the peak level of 2002.
“Despite a 1.1 percent increase in the number of hogs, the number of farms reporting hogs declined.
“As of Jan. 1 there were 7,090 hog farms in Canada, down 0.5 percent from the same date a year earlier.
“Farmers reported 1.2 million sows and gilts, up 0.3 percent from Jan. 1, 2013.
“Canada exported five million hogs in 2013, down 12.4 percent from 2012 and 50.4 percent less than the peak in 2007.
“Domestic hog slaughter also declined in 2013, down 1.7 percent from 2012 to just under 21 million head.
“Sheep inventories fell one percent from Jan. 1, 2013, to 893,000, as farmers reduced their herds.
“The breeding herd fell as the number of ewes declined 0.9 percent and replacement lambs fell 2.1 percent .
“The number of market lambs decreased 0.6 percent from Jan. 1, 2013.
