Monthly cow slaughter totals can send confusing messages. Last Friday, USDA reported October 231,000 dairy cows were harvested through federally inspected plants, up 4,000 head from October 2009. But the number is 12,000 head fewer than in September, which likely reflected a surge in shipments thanks to the latest and last round of Cooperatives Working Together.
Year-to-date, 2.301 million cows have been slaughtered, 3.1% fewer than in 2009.
