U.S. Cattle on Feed Down 3%

USDA Jan. 20 report reveals lower placements, lower inventories.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million head Jan. 1, 2023. Down 312,000 head, the inventory was 3% below Jan. 1, 2022. The inventory included 7.03 million steers and steer cthealves, down 4% from the previous year. This group accounted for 60% of the total inventory.

Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.65 million head, down 1% from 2022. The fact heifers on feed accounted for 40% of the on-feed inventory suggests little to no herd retention is underway, according to a Jan. 20, 2023, analysis by the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC; www.lmic.info).

Placements in feedlots during December totaled 1.80 million head, 8% below 2021, amounting to a drop of about 150,000 head. Net placements were 1.75 million head.

During December, placements of cattle and calves weighing

• less than 600 pounds (lb.) were 455,000 head;
• 600-699 lb. were 435,000 head;
• 700-799 lb. were 415,000 head;
• 800-899 lb. were 304,000 head;
• 900-999 lb. were 105,000 head; and
• 1,000 lb. and greater were 90,000 head.

The largest decrease was realized in the lightest category (< 600 lb.), 55,000 head under 2021 placements, LMIC reported. Six- and seven-weights were each down 35,000 head compared to last year, while placements in the 800-899-lb. category were down 26,000 compared to 2021.

Marketings of fed cattle during December totaled 1.74 million head, 6% below 2021. The LMIC analysis pointed out that marketings were hurt by a late-December snowstorm that affected hauling and slaughter facilities.

Other disappearance totaled 54,000 head during December, unchanged from 2021.

According to LMIC, declines in the number of cattle on feed are expected to continue for the next few months.

“Large placements over the last year may have left few cattle available from the 2022 calf crop to place after winter grazing,” said the LMIC analysis. “This could cause a significant hole in supplies. During the last major drought season in 2011, cattle on feed dropped 1.2 million head over the summer compared to Jan. 1 levels, and in 2012, cattle-on-feed numbers dropped about 800,000 head. If cattle on feed this year drops similar to those years, that would put the summer low between 9.0-9.4 million head on feed.”

Editor’s note: This article was compiled with information from the Cattle-on-Feed report released Jan. 20, 2023, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Jan. 20, 2023, analysis of that report provided by the Livestock Marketing Information Center, available at www.lmic.info.