USDA Oct. 1 Cattle on Feed Report

By DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- 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 Oct. 1, 2022. The inventory was 1% below Oct. 1, 2021, USDA NASS reported on Friday.

The inventory included 6.90 million steers and steer calves, down 2% from the previous year. This group accounted for 60% of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.55 million head, up 1% from 2021.

Placements in feedlots during September totaled 2.08 million head, 4% below 2021. Net placements were 2.03 million head. During September, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 445,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 330,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 440,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 480,000 head, 900-999 pounds were 290,000 head, and 1,000 pounds and greater were 95,000 head.

Marketings of fed cattle during September totaled 1.86 million head, 4% above 2021.

Other disappearance totaled 53,000 head during September, 9% below 2021.

DTN ANALYSIS

"Friday's Cattle on Feed report was just the icing on the cake that the cattle market needed after a tremendous week of extremely strong trade," said DTN Livestock Analyst ShayLe Stewart. "Not only was the total number of cattle on feed lower than a year ago, but placements came in lower too. And after months of seeing higher placements, which were largely pushed by drought-related pressures, seeing a dip in placements was a refreshing note for the market.

"The total number of cattle on feed for Oct. 1 amounted to 11,449,00 head, which was 1% less than a year ago. Per the usual, and in this exact order: Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado possess the largest amount of cattle on feed currently. Compared to a year ago, the market saw 10,000 more calves weighing less than 600 pounds placed in September 2022 compared to a year ago. But for feeders weighing from 600 to 899 pounds, the market placed 103,000 head fewer than a year ago in that weight bracket during September.

"Finally, the market had an exceptional month for marketings, as the industry marketed 4% more cattle in September 2022 than in September 2021. Needless to say, the market should find Friday's Cattle on Feed report very supportive."

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DTN subscribers can view the full Cattle on Feed reports in the Livestock Archives folder under the Markets menu. The report is also available at https://www.nass.usda.gov/….

	USDA Actual	Average Estimate	Range
On Feed Oct. 1	99%	99.1%	98.2-99.6%
Placed in September	96%	96.3%	91.8-99.0%
Marketed in September	104%	104.0%	103.8-105.1%

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