U.S. cattle on feed for slaughter dropped 2 percent from a year earlier, according to a USDA Cattle on Feed report released Friday.
The total inventory in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head stood at 11.1 million head on July 1, the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported.
Steers and steer calves totaled 6.88 million head, up 1 percent from 2024, while heifers and heifer calves decreased 5 percent to 4.24 million head.
Placements during June fell 8 percent from last year to 1.44 million head. Marketings of fed cattle totaled 1.71 million head, down 4 percent from June 2024 and the lowest June figure since recordkeeping began in 1996.
The report suggests continued herd rebuilding efforts following several years of drought-induced liquidation, with producers retaining more heifers for breeding rather than sending them to feedlots.
