United States Cattle on Feed Up Two Percent

(WASHINGTON, DC) Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States totaled 12.0 million head on April 1st. The inventory was two percent above the same time last year and accounts for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head. This is the highest April 1st inventory since the series began in 1996. The inventory included 7.45 million steers and steer calves, down one percent from the previous year. This group accounted for 62 percent of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.51 million head, eight percent higher than last year. Placements in feedlots during March totaled 2.01 million head, a five percent year over year increase. Marketings of fed cattle during March totaled 1.78 million head, three percent below 2018. Other disappearance totaled 69,000 head during March, a three percent above 2018.