June is National Beef and Dairy Month and SC Ag Commissioner Hugh Weathers is here to tell us more!
- This industry sure is close to my heart
- My family has been involved in dairy farming for 87 years and I am a 4th generation dairy farmer
- South Carolina has over 22,000 operating farms totaling 4.6M acres.
- The cattle industry brings an estimated $133M to the state’s economy annually.
- The total cattle in South Carolina had an 8% reduction from last year to this year. There are 7 top cattle and calf producing counties in South Carolina totaling 290,000 head:
- Anderson has over 30,000 head
- Saluda has 24,500 head
- Newberry has over 19,000 head
- Laurens has over 18,000 head
- York has over 13,000 head
- Chester
- Abbeville
Beef:
- Of the total 290,000 head of cattle and calves, 148,000 are beef cows and supports thousands of jobs.
- Be sure to go support our local beef farmers here in South Carolina this June by choosing to buy local beef for your next barbecue!
Beef Processing:
- It is always our goal to increase processing capacity in the state, keeping more dollars in the local economy, rather than crossing state lines for processing, or selling feeder calves out west. Our beef processing projects are underway and expected to increase capacity for almost 5,000 head of cattle per year, or an estimated economic impact of $17.5 million, plus jobs created.
Dairy:
- Of the total 290,000 head of cattle and calves, 8,000 are milk cows.
- South Carolina’s dairy/milk production is over a $34M industry
- Fun fact: Did you know that South Carolina’s state beverage is in fact MILK?!