The United States cattle on feed inventory for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million head on November 1, 2025, marking a 2% decline from the same date last year, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Placements of cattle and calves into feedlots during October dropped 10% from 2024 to 2.04 million head, the lowest October figure recorded since the series began in 1996. Net placements stood at 1.99 million head. The decline was observed across all weight categories, with the largest placements in the 700-799 pound range at 445,000 head.
Marketings of fed cattle during October totaled 1.70 million head, down 8 percent from the previous year. Other disappearance, which includes death loss and movement to pasture or other feedlots, totaled 54,000 head, 2% below 2024 levels.
The inventory breakdown showed a slight increase in steers and steer calves to 7.06 million head, up 1% from 2024, while heifers and heifer calves decreased 5% to 4.36 million head.
Regionally, states such as Nebraska, Texas, and Kansas maintained large inventories, with Nebraska holding 2.64 million head and Texas 2.63 million head as of November 1.
