Cattle, Sheep In North Dakota Up From Previous Year

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — The number of cattle and sheep in North Dakota are up from the previous year.

The Agriculture Department says in its latest reports that all cattle and calves in the state on Jan. 1 totaled 1.7 million head, up 4 percent from 2015. Beef cows were up 1 percent and milk cows were unchanged.

All cattle on feed in North Dakota feedlots for slaughter totaled 55,000 head, up 11,000 head. The 2015 calf crop totaled 830,000 head, down 1 percent from 2014.

All sheep and lambs on Jan. 1 totaled 73,000 head, up 9,000 head from the previous year. Breeding sheep and market sheep both were up.

The 2015 lamb crop totaled 55,000 head, unchanged from 2014. Shorn wool production was 485,000 pounds, up 25,000 pounds.