The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service has released its combined Canadian and American cattle, hog and sheep numbers for the start of 2017.
NASS says cattle inventories increased by 2 per cent from a year earlier to 106 million head.
It notes the amount of calving cows and heifers to be at 45.3 million head, which is also 2 per cent more.
The department reports the combined number of hogs and pigs on January 1st was 85.2 million head.
That's a gain of 3 per cent on last year and 5 per cent on the year before.
The number of farrowing sows over the last half of 2016 hit 7.34 million, which was 2 per cent more than in 2015.
The combined total of sheep to begin the year was at 6.13 million.
The service points out that's a decline of 2 per cent, which is also the same dip seen in the number of breeding ewes.
