Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on August 1st. That was two percent below the mark in 2024, and in line with pre-report trade estimates of 98.1 percent. Reports show the August 1 level is an eight-year low.
The state-by-state breakdown showed a steady increase across most of the states, but compared to a year ago, the Southern feedlots were well below 2024 levels. That’s because of the closure of the Southern U.S. border to Mexican feeder imports. The northern feeder areas were said to be above year-ago levels. Texas placements were at 75 percent of last year, Colorado was 76 percent, Nebraska was at 98 percent, while Kansas and Iowa were at 102 and 118 percent, respectively. Feedlot placements in July were 1.6 million head, six percent below last year.
-NAFB