How big is the Indiana cattle industry?
Indiana Ag Statistics reports in 2002 there were 19,000 operations that had cattle. This included 2,600 farms with dairy cows and 12,000 farms with beef cows. The state had a calf crop in 2002 of 340,000 head. On January 1, 2003, the state had 145,000 milk cows. The value of cattle and calves on January 1, 2003 was $619 million. Cash receipts from cattle and calves in 2002 in Indiana was $204 million and an additional $317 million from selling milk. In terms of total Indiana farm cash receipts in 2002, beef cattle and calves represented 4.2% and the milk sales were 6.6% of the $4.8 billion total from crops and animals. Indiana is not a major processor of beef. In 2002, while 340,000 calves were born in the state, only 39,400 head of finished cattle, cows, and bulls were harvested, with an additional 29,200 head of young calves, primarily for the veal market.
