Cattle on Feed Report

Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed Report November numbers on feedlot placements included a surprise for cattle feeders. As pundits expected a decline in placements of about 4 percent but what actually what happened was a 11 percent decline, which may provide a little support to near term cattle prices. USDA Livestock Analyst Shayle Shagam continues with more details from the report.
Shagam: “Cattlemen placed about 1.6 million head of cattle in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 head or greater during November which is about 11 percent below a year ago. During November they marketed about 1.5 million head which was 4 percent above a year ago but when you make the adjustments for the additional slaughter day you were actually slightly below a year ago on the adjusted basis. The number of cattle on feed on December first was just under 10.8 million head which is virtually unchanged from a year ago.”
The number of cattle and calves placed on feed for the slaughter market in Colorado feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or larger was estimated at 140,000 head as of December 1, 2015 that was 28 percent below the previous month and 10 percent below the December 1, 2014 inventory.
In Idaho the number of cattle place on feed in Idaho feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or larger was 42,000 head on December first, which is 2 percent below a year ago, and 28 percent below the previous month.
In Washington, the number of cattle of feed in Washington feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or larger on December first was 43,000 head which was 12 percent below a year ago and 14 percent below the previous month.