US feedlot placements totaled 1.777 million head in September, down 12% year-on-year. This was the lowest September total since the series began in 1996, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported.
Placements declined by 244,000 head compared with September 2025, signaling fewer cattle entering the finishing process, with potential implications for slaughter availability in the coming months.
Marketings of finished cattle for slaughter also declined, totaling 1.524 million head, down 7% year-on-year and another September low since 1996.
As of October 1, inventories in feedlots with capacity for at least 1,000 head stood at 11.372 million head, just 0.4% below a year earlier. The contraction was therefore much more pronounced in monthly placements than in cattle on feed inventories.
Heifers and female calves totaled 4.3 million head, down 1% from a year earlier and accounting for approximately 38% of the total. The limited decline in this category alone does not yet provide sufficient evidence of substantial heifer retention to rebuild the breeding herd.
