RELEASED: USDA NAHMS Report on Cattle and Calves Death Loss in the U.S.

USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has released Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015, a comprehensive report on producer-reported causes of death in cattle and calves in all 50 states.

Since 1995, NAHMS has teamed with USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and Wildlife Services to produce reports on cattle death loss in the United States every 5 years. This report provides analyses of cattle and calves losses in 2015. In addition, death losses by operation type (beef, dairy, mixed, and other) are provided and, when possible, losses in 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 were included for comparison.

Losses for adult cattle and for calves are reported separately and are categorized as predator and nonpredator related. In addition, producer-reported methods used to mitigate losses due to predators, and the cost of those methods, are reported.

Here are a few highlights from the NAHMS Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015, report:

• In 2015, total U.S. inventory of adult cattle (over 500 pounds) was 78 million head, and total calf crop was 34 million head (NASS data).
• About one-third of cattle operations had deaths in adult cattle.
• About 40 percent of cattle operations had deaths in calves.
• The estimated cost of death loss in cattle and calves in 2015 was $3.87 billion.
• Nonpredator causes accounted for almost 98 percent of all deaths in adult cattle and almost 89 percent of all deaths in calves.
• The percentage of calf deaths attributed to predators increased steadily from 3.5 percent in 1995 to 11.1 percent in 2015.
• Respiratory problems accounted for the highest percentage of deaths in cattle due to nonpredators (23.9 percent), followed by unknown causes (14.0 percent), and old age (11.8 percent).
• Respiratory problems also accounted for the highest percentage of deaths in calves due to nonpredators (26.9 percent).
• Coyotes accounted for the highest percentage of cattle deaths due to predators (40.5 percent).
• Coyotes accounted for the highest percentage of calf deaths due to predators (53.1 percent).

 

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