More dairy cows headed to second career: beef

Now that March has rolled around, it’s spring-cleaning season and dairy farmers are getting in the spirit as more dairy cows are sent to the beef packer. Dairy cow slaughter has been higher year-over-year for 23 consecutive weeks, with the exception of one lone week in early February. For 2026 alone, 3,900 more cows have been culled each week on average compared to a year ago, resulting in year-to-date slaughter being 35,000 head or 7.5% higher than the year prior.

Even though we are still below the three-year average, culling has slowly picked back up across the country.

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Abbi Prins

March 9, 2026

hoards.com