Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million head on Jan. 1, 2019. The inventory was 2% above Jan. 1, 2018, USDA reported Friday.
Marketing of fed cattle during December totaled 1.74 million, 1% lower than the same month in 2017.
Placements of cattle on feed during December totaled 1.77 million head, 2% below 2017.
The on feed inventory included 7.28 million steers and steer calves, down 1% from the previous year. This group accounted for 62% of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.41 million head, up 6% from 2018.
During December, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 445,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 460,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 402,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 285,000 head, 900-999 pounds were 90,000 head, 1,000 pounds and greater were 85,000 head.