Iowa Cows

One Million Cows

One of Iowa’s hidden treasures is its beef industry. At any one time, this state is home to over a million beef cows and in excess of a million cattle on feed. Iowa has nearly 34,000 farms with cattle on them, including over 10,000 feedlots (the most in the nation) and 23,000 beef cow herds.

According to the 2002 census, producers received more than $1.47 billion in cash receipts from the state’s cattle, and cattle sales represent 20 percent of Iowa’s annual agricultural income. That compares with 23 percent for hog sales and 28 percent for corn.

Cattle are found all around the state, but different types of cattle are raised in different parts of the state. There are dairy operations in northeast Iowa, cow-calf operations in southern Iowa, as well as cattle feeding in northwest and eastern Iowa. Approximately 35-36,000 Iowa farms have at least a few cattle. In 2005, Iowa ranked 8th in cattle production with approximately 3.60 million.

Cows are helping the industry fuel Iowa’s future.

The impacts of a growing ethanol industry are yet to be seen.

Cattle Congress

Celebrating Things Bovine

Hay

It’s what’s for dinner

Links

Little Cows

Milk

My Cheeseburger (Good PowerPoint)

Naturally Iowa

Quiz

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0 Replies to “Iowa Cows”

  1. My Cheeseburger … interesting presentation. Pretty basic but some of that may have to do with agribusiness background. Curiously no mention of Mad Cow or cow tipping. Oh well…

    Harvesting facility?!

  2. My favorite sentence from the whole thing: “Cattle travel by truck to a harvesting facility where they become beef.” Sounds like they’re headed out for a day of fun at Adventureland.

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