Cattle on Feed down 1% from year ago; placements down 8%

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.4 million head on June 1, 2025. The inventory was 1% below June 1, 2024, USDA NASS reported on Friday.

Placements in feedlots during May totaled 1.89 million head, 8% below 2024. Meanwhile, marketings of fed cattle during May totaled 1.76 million head, 10% below 2024. "Friday's Cattle on Feed report should be received as another bullish feather for the market to tuck inside its hat," said DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart.