The number of cattle and calves in Tennessee fell 8 percent from last year to 2.3 million head.
The fall is attributed to the same extreme weather conditions that vexed the state's row crops last year, according to a survey conducted by the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service Tennessee Field Office.
"It is quite apparent that the Easter freeze coupled with extreme drought conditions took a toll on our cattle producers," state field office director Debra Kenerson says in a statement. "Poor pastures and reduced hay production, along with water shortages in some areas resulted in many producers culling cattle."
