February 22, 2011

US cattle on feed increases 6%

US cattle and calves on feed for butcher's market in the US totalled 11.6 million head on February 1, 2011 for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head, which is 6% above on February 1, 2010.

Placements in feedlots during January totalled 1.90 million, 4% above 2010. Net placements were 1.84 million head. During January, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 465,000, 600-699 pounds were 475,000, and 700-799 pounds were 547,000 and 800 pounds and greater were 410,000.

Marketing of fed cattle during January totalled 1.78 million, slightly above 2010.

Other disappearance totalled 56,000 during January, 20% below 2010. This is the lowest other disappearance for the month of January since the series began in 1996.

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the US for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head represented 82.1% of all cattle and calves on feed in the US on January 1, 2011, up from 80.5% on January 1, 2010.

Marketing of fed cattle for feedlots, with capacity of 1,000 or more head during 2010, represented 84.6% of all cattle marketed from feedlots in the US, down from 84.7% during 2009.