The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) latest Cattle on Feed report, released on November 22, 2024, indicates a marginal increase in cattle inventory along with significant growth in both placements and marketings.
According to the report, cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 12.0 million head on November 1, 2024. This figure represents a slight increase compared to the same date in 2023.
Placements in feedlots during October reached 2.29 million head, marking a 5 percent increase from the previous year. The report provides a detailed breakdown of placements by weight category, with the largest group being cattle weighing less than 600 pounds at 585,000 head.
Marketings of fed cattle also saw a notable uptick, totaling 1.85 million head in October, which is 5 percent above the 2023 level. This increase in marketings suggests a potentially higher supply of beef reaching the market in the coming months.
The report also notes that other disappearance remained stable at 55,000 head during October, unchanged from the previous year.
