Feedlot sales for June were the lowest for the month at least since 1996

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.1 million head on July 1, 2025. The inventory was 2 percent below July 1, 2024, informed the USDA in its Cattle On Feed Report for Julye. The inventory included 6.88 million steers and steer calves, up 1 percent from the previous year. This group accounted for 62 percent of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.24 million head, down 5 percent from 2024.

Placements in feedlots during June totaled 1.44 million head, 8 percent below 2024.

Marketings of fed cattle during June totaled 1.71 million head, 4 percent below 2024. Marketings were the lowest for June since the series began in 1996.

Data was considered bullish for cattle prices. Live future cattle prices trended upwards on Monday, especially for Oct-25 to Apr-26 contracts.