U.S. dairy cattle exports remain strong

February U.S. female dairy cattle exports topped 6,000 head for the fourth time in five months, with Russia again the leading destination for most of them, according to USDA’s Foreign Ag Service.
 

February 2012 exports totaled 6,440 head, bringing the year-to-date (Y-T-D) total to 10,947 head, compared to 8,162 head for the same period in record-setting 2011.
 

Russia imported 4,438 U.S. dairy replacement females in February, bringing its Y-T-D total to 7,038 head, or about 65% of all U.S. exports so far this year.
 

Last year’s leading U.S. female dairy cattle export market, Turkey, imported 1,226 head in February, for a two-month total of 1,954.

Other substantial markets were Canada, 400 head; and the United Arab Emirates, 346.