The Canadian cattle inventory was slightly larger on July 1, 2025, compared to a year earlier, as producers retained more breeding stock and slaughter slowed.
A Statistics Canada livestock inventory report released late last week showed that Canadian farmers held 11.9 million cattle and calves as of July 1, up 0.8% from a year earlier. Inventories climbed across all breeding categories, “lending support to the beef and dairy herds,” StatsCan said.
Beef heifers for breeding increased 2%, bulls 0.5%, and beef cows 0.4%. The dairy sector saw similar gains, with heifers and cows each up 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively.
Along with higher breeding stock retention, the overall herd expansion was supported by a 1.8% rise in the number of calves born during the first half of the year. Producers held 3.8 million calves as of July 1, up 3% year over year. Meanwhile, steer numbers declined 1.8% and feeder heifers fell 1.5%.
Cattle and calf slaughter in Canada from January to June dropped 5% to 1.6 million head, while exports of live cattle slipped 2.7% to 390,400 head.
Feeder and slaughter cattle prices surged to record highs during the first half of 2025, bolstered by firm global beef demand, StatsCan said.
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