USDA released its monthly Cattle on Feed report today; the inventory of cattle and calves on feed on feedlots with 1,000 head capacity or more on 1 February was 11.7 million, or 96 percent of February 2022. The report was generally in line with pre-report expectations; only placements were below the pre-report estimates.
This is the fifth consecutive month where on-feed inventories are lower than year ago levels, a trend that is almost certain to continue through much of 2023 which saw 9 of the 12 months equal to or higher than year ago levels.
The average daily marketings in January 2023 were 92,350 based on 20 days. That compares to December at 82,905 based on 21 days and January 2022 at 84,428 over 21 days. Marketings as a pe...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...