WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. cattle on feed totaled 11.1 million head on August 1, up 2% from a year earlier, even as July placements fell to the lowest level for the month since USDA records began in 1996.
July placements totaled 1.42 million head, down 11% from last year. Marketings fell 7% to 1.62 million head, also the lowest July total since the series began.
Texas remained the largest feeding state with 2.51 million head, up 1% from last year. Nebraska ranked second at 2.47 million, up 3%, while Kansas remained third at 2.26 million, unchanged from a year earlier.
The ranking of the three largest feeding states did not change. Texas, Nebraska, and Kansas together accounted for roughly two-thirds of the cattle reported in larger U.S. feedlots.
Record-low placements point toward tighter fed-cattle supplies later, even though current feedlot inventories remain above last year.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Record-low July placements reinforce expectations for tighter fed-cattle supplies after current feedlot inventories are worked down.