09/17/2026
A state’s beef-cow herd size and its herd direction are two different stories. Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma remain among the biggest beef-cow states in the country.
But USDA’s January 1 inventory comparison shows that being large does not automatically mean a state is adding breeding females. From January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026, Texas declined from 4.075 million to 4.045 million beef cows, down about 0.7%. Missouri declined from 1.864 million to 1.806 million, down about 3.1%. Kansas fell from 1.230 million to 1.145 million, down about 6.9%. Oklahoma was nearly unchanged, moving from 1.959 million to 1.966 million, up about 0.4%.
Meanwhile, North Dakota increased from 870,000 to 891,000 beef cows, up about 2.4%, and Colorado increased from 605,000 to 620,000, up about 2.5%.
This is only a one-year inventory comparison. It does not prove that any state has entered a permanent expansion or decline.
Weather, forage, culling, heifer retention, financing and local economics can change the picture quickly. But it does show why the national herd story cannot be read from a single ranking.
Where the cows are matters. Where producers are adding, or reducing, breeding females matters too.
Which signal matters more to you: the states with the most cows today, or the states that are adding cows fastest?
