May Cattle on Feed: Dressed Weights, Drought, and Disruptions to Trade

May 29, 2025

By James Mitchell

The National Agricultural Statistics Service released the May Cattle on Feed report on Friday. As of May 1, 2025, the total inventory of cattle and calves on feed in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head reached 11.38 million, down 1.5 percent from a year ago. April placements totaled 1.61 million head, 2.6 percent lower than last year. April cattle marketings totaled 1.83 million head, down 2.5 percent. All figures were within the range of pre-report expectations, with no major surprises.

Although the report held no surprises, several emerging themes in 2025 are worth highlighting. First, dressed weights continue to provide a buffer against tighter cattle supplies. One of the most notable trends in 2024 was heavier-than-expected dressed weights, averaging 27 pounds above 2023 levels, and breaking from typical seasonal patterns. As a result, USDA repeatedly revised its 2024 beef production forecast in the WASDE report. From January to December, the forecast was raised by 4 percent, or 925 million pounds.

Source : osu.edu

Video: What It Takes to Stop African Swine Fever - Dr. Jishu Shi

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Jishu Shi, Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Kansas State University, discusses African swine fever prevention and vaccine development. He explains why ASF differs from classical swine fever and swine influenza, how the disease threatens trade and pork production, why immunization safety remains a critical hurdle, and what producers can do now to reduce the risk of introduction. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Before a safe and efficacious vaccine for ASF can be commercialized, what we really have is prevention."

Meet the guest: Dr. Jishu Shi is Professor of Vaccine Immunology and the Dr. Wayne & Hilda Appleton Endowed Professor at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He directs the Center on Biologics Development and Evaluation and the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health. A veterinarian and vaccine immunologist, Dr. Shi has focused on vaccines for pigs and has worked on African swine fever vaccine development, control, diagnostics, and international training since 2018. Learn more from Dr. Jishu Shi on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.