The number of cattle on Kansas feedlots is up this year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service says the number of cattle on Kansas feedlots has risen 2 percent in the past year to about 1.94 million. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports USDA statistics also show that overall cattle inventories across the state have grown.

Drought conditions had dried up ponds and pushed up prices for feed, which prompted Kansas farmers to sell off cattle or send them to packing plants.

But as of Jan. 1 this year, total cattle inventories in Kansas, which includes all cattle and calves, not just those on feedlots, hit 6 million, an increase of 200,000 from a year earlier and a sign of recovery after three years of decreases.