Key Numbers From Monthly USDA Cattle on Feed Report

Last week’s USDA Cattle on Feed Report had no stunning news as the nation’s feedlots inventories continue to decline as last week’s giving March 1st inventory as 10.8 million head — one percent less than March a year ago. USDA Livestock analyst Michael Jewison shares

Jewison: “This was the 19th consecutive month of year-over-year declines in inventory.”

The decline came even with the February placements of animals into feedlots up 15 percent from February 2013 at 1.65 million head. Why the big jump up in placements? Jewison says that last’s February placements were historically pretty low and there were several other factors as well.

Jewison: “So you were coming off a very low year. The second factor is the dry conditions in the Southern Plains — Texas, Oklahoma, Southwest Kansas. Third factor is very favorable returns for feedlot operators which provides incentive to bid aggressively for cattle.”

Which also was an incentive to cow calf producers to sell further shrinking the supply for future placements sending cattle prices ever upward.

Here are USDA reports placement number for our Idaho and Washington. For cattle placed on feed in Idaho during February there were 37,000 head placed on feed which was 9 percent more than a year ago. In Washington during same time period there were 30,000 head placed on feed which is down 14 percent from the same time a year ago.

In Idaho there were 215,000 head of cattle on feed and 206,000 head in Washington.