By USDA
United States Cattle on Feed Up Slightly
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.7 million head on February 1, 2015. The inventory was slightly above February 1, 2014.
Placements in feedlots during January totaled 1.79 million, 11 percent below 2014. Net placements were 1.71 million head. During January, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 405,000, 600-699 pounds were 340,000, 700-799 pounds were 477,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 565,000.
Marketings of fed cattle during January totaled 1.63 million, 9 percent below 2014. January marketings are the lowest since the series began in 1996.
Other disappearance totaled 77,000 during January, 8 percent above 2014.
2014 Cattle on Feed and Annual Size Group Estimates
Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head represented 81.6 percent of all cattle and calves on feed in the United States on January 1, 2015, up from 81.3 on January 1, 2014.
Marketings of fed cattle for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head during 2014 represented 87.2 percent of all cattle marketed from feedlots in the United States, up from 86.9 percent during 2013.
Source: USDA