Feedlot marketings down 7% in February

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.5 million head on March 1, 2026, informed the USDA in tis Cattle on Feed report. The inventory was slightly below March 1, 2025.

Placements in feedlots during February totaled 1.61 million head, 4 percent above 2025.

Marketings of fed cattle during February totaled 1.52 million head, 7 percent below 2025. Marketings were the second lowest for February since the series began in 1996.