Cattle on Feed

New Cattle Feedlot Report Points to Shrinking Beef Cattle Herd

Dan Cattle

report
Editorial credit: mark reinstein / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released the October Cattle on Feed Report, and it indicates the number of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.6 million head on October 1, 2021. That is 1 percent below October 1, 2020, but is the second highest October 1 inventory since the series began in 1996. Placements in feedlots during September totaled 2.16 million head, 3 percent below 2020.

But, according to a story from Gary Crawford, the nation’s beef cattle herd may be shrinking at a faster pace than some had expected.

New Cattle Feedlot Report Points to Shrinking Beef Cattle Herd

The report also shows marketing’s of fed cattle during September totaled 1.79 million head,