Cattle on Feed ISSN: 1948-9080 Released March 21, 2025, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). United States Cattle on Feed Down 2 Percent Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.6 million head on March 1, 2025. The inventory was 2 percent below March 1, 2024. Placements in feedlots during February totaled 1.55 million head, 18 percent below 2024. Net placements were 1.49 million head. During February, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 295,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 275,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 415,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 389,000 head, 900-999 pounds were 130,000 head, and 1,000 pounds and greater were 50,000 head. Marketings of fed cattle during February totaled 1.63 million head, 9 percent below 2024. Other disappearance totaled 60,000 head during February, 7 percent above 2024. Cattle on Feed Inventory, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: March 1, 2024 and 2025 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Percent of Item : 2024 : 2025 :previous year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed February 1 .....................: 11,797 11,716 99 Placed on feed during February .........: 1,890 1,554 82 Fed cattle marketed during February ....: 1,793 1,633 91 Other disappearance during February ....: 56 60 107 On feed March 1 ........................: 11,838 11,577 98 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cattle on Feed Inventory, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: February 1, 2024 and 2025 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Percent of Item : 2024 : 2025 :previous year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed January 1 ......................: 11,930 11,823 99 Placed on feed during January ..........: 1,791 1,822 102 Fed cattle marketed during January .....: 1,843 1,869 101 Other disappearance during January .....: 81 60 74 On feed February 1 .....................: 11,797 11,716 99 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cattle on Feed Inventory on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2024 and 2025 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : March 1, 2025 : : :-------------------------------------------- State : March 1, 2024 :February 1, 2025 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Inventory :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --------------- 1,000 head -------------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 258 231 227 88 98 California .......: 520 520 510 98 98 Colorado .........: 1,020 1,030 1,010 99 98 Idaho ............: 345 335 335 97 100 Iowa .............: 650 670 670 103 100 Kansas ...........: 2,400 2,370 2,320 97 98 Minnesota ........: 105 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 2,560 2,590 2,590 101 100 Oklahoma .........: 330 345 340 103 99 South Dakota .....: 245 230 235 96 102 Texas ............: 2,820 2,700 2,640 94 98 Washington .......: 255 255 260 102 102 : Other States .....: 330 440 440 133 100 : United States ....: 11,838 11,716 11,577 98 99 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Cattle Placed on Feed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2024 and 2025 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During February 2025 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State :February 2024 : January 2025 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Placements :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 22 23 17 77 74 California .......: 66 63 55 83 87 Colorado .........: 150 130 135 90 104 Idaho ............: 43 41 36 84 88 Iowa .............: 118 115 94 80 82 Kansas ...........: 460 450 360 78 80 Minnesota ........: 14 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 505 535 440 87 82 Oklahoma .........: 38 34 35 92 103 South Dakota .....: 42 35 35 83 100 Texas ............: 355 295 260 73 88 Washington .......: 33 36 35 106 97 : Other States .....: 44 65 52 118 80 : United States ....: 1,890 1,822 1,554 82 85 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Cattle Placed on Feed by Weight Group on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots and Month - States and United States: 2024 and 2025 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : During February 2024 :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State :Under 600 lbs : 600-699 lbs : 700-799 lbs : 800-899 lbs : 900+ lbs 1/ : 900-999 lbs : 1,000+ lbs : Total --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head : Colorado ......: 25 30 35 35 25 (D) (D) 150 Kansas ........: 45 75 155 135 50 (D) (D) 460 Nebraska ......: 35 75 155 165 75 (D) (D) 505 Texas .........: 140 75 70 55 15 (D) (D) 355 : Other States ..: 115 75 100 95 35 (D) (D) 420 : United States .: 360 330 515 485 (X) 150 50 1,890 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : During January 2025 :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State :Under 600 lbs : 600-699 lbs : 700-799 lbs : 800-899 lbs : 900+ lbs 1/ : 900-999 lbs : 1,000+ lbs : Total --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head : Colorado ......: 25 30 35 20 20 (D) (D) 130 Kansas ........: 50 105 155 100 40 (D) (D) 450 Nebraska ......: 45 110 165 145 70 (D) (D) 535 Texas .........: 115 65 65 40 10 (D) (D) 295 : Other States ..: 130 85 85 77 35 (D) (D) 412 : United States .: 365 395 505 382 (X) 105 70 1,822 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : During February 2025 :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State :Under 600 lbs : 600-699 lbs : 700-799 lbs : 800-899 lbs : 900+ lbs 1/ : 900-999 lbs : 1,000+ lbs : Total --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head 1,000 head : Colorado ......: 25 25 30 35 20 (D) (D) 135 Kansas ........: 40 65 110 100 45 (D) (D) 360 Nebraska ......: 30 65 135 140 70 (D) (D) 440 Texas .........: 100 55 55 40 10 (D) (D) 260 : Other States ..: 100 65 85 74 35 (D) (D) 359 : United States .: 295 275 415 389 (X) 130 50 1,554 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. (X) Not applicable. 1/ The 900 pounds and greater weight group is the sum of 900-999 pounds and 1,000 pounds and greater weight groups. Cattle Marketed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2024 and 2025 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During February 2025 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State :February 2024 : January 2025 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Marketings :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 25 24 20 80 83 California .......: 60 57 58 97 102 Colorado .........: 135 145 145 107 100 Idaho ............: 41 35 35 85 100 Iowa .............: 106 94 93 88 99 Kansas ...........: 440 465 400 91 86 Minnesota ........: 13 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 480 510 425 89 83 Oklahoma .........: 37 48 39 105 81 South Dakota .....: 36 34 29 81 85 Texas ............: 345 365 310 90 85 Washington .......: 37 35 29 78 83 : Other States .....: 38 57 50 132 88 : United States ....: 1,793 1,869 1,633 91 87 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Cattle Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2024 and 2025 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During February 2025 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State :February 2024 : January 2025 : Other : Percent of : Percent of : : :disappearance :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- 1,000 head ---------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 1 1 1 100 100 California .......: 6 6 7 117 117 Colorado .........: 5 5 10 200 200 Idaho ............: 2 1 1 50 100 Iowa .............: 2 1 1 50 100 Kansas ...........: 10 15 10 100 67 Minnesota ........: 1 (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 15 15 15 100 100 Oklahoma .........: 1 1 1 100 100 South Dakota .....: 1 1 1 100 100 Texas ............: 10 10 10 100 100 Washington .......: 1 1 1 100 100 : Other States .....: 1 3 2 200 67 : United States ....: 56 60 60 107 100 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Terms and Definitions of Cattle on Feed Estimates Cattle on feed are steers and heifers being fed a ration of grain, silage, hay and/or protein supplement for slaughter market that are expected to produce a carcass that will grade select or better. It excludes cattle being "backgrounded only" for later sale as feeders or later placement in another feedlot. Placements are steers and heifers put into a feedlot, fed a ration which will produce a carcass that will grade select or better, and are intended for the slaughter market. Marketings are steers and heifers shipped out of feedlots to a slaughter market. Other disappearance includes death loss, movement from feedlots to pasture, and shipments to other feedlots for further feeding. Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: During January and July all known feedlots in the United States with capacity of 1,000 or more head are surveyed to provide data for cattle on feed estimates. During the other months, all known feedlots from 16 States are surveyed. The 16 States account for approximately 98 percent of the cattle on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head. Individual State estimates are published monthly for 11 of the 16 States. In 2025, data collected from the remaining 5 States are used to establish the "Other States" estimates. These 5 States include Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, Wyoming and in 2025, Minnesota was added. The "Other States" category represents all cattle on feed with a capacity of 1,000 or more head for the rest of the United States. Estimating Procedures: These cattle on feed estimates were prepared by the Agricultural Statistics Board after reviewing recommendations and analysis submitted by Regional Field Offices. Regional and State survey data were reviewed for reasonableness with each other and with estimates from the previous month when establishing the current estimates. Revision Policy: Revisions to previous estimates are made to improve month to month relationships. Estimates for the previous month are subject to revision in all States each month when current estimates are made. In February, all monthly estimates for the previous year, and the number of feedlots and annual marketings from two years ago are reviewed and subject to revisions. The reviews are primarily based on slaughter data, state check-off or brand data, and any other data that may have been received after the original estimate was made. Estimates will also be reviewed after data from the Census of Agriculture are available. No revisions will be made after that date and estimates become final. Reliability: Since all 1,000+ capacity cattle on feed operators in every State are not included in the monthly survey, survey estimates are subject to sampling variability. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omissions, duplications, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. The effects of these errors cannot be measured directly. They are minimized through rigid quality controls in the data collection process and through a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. To assist users in evaluating the reliability of estimates in this report, the "Root Mean Square Error" is shown for selected items in the table on the following page. The "Root Mean Square Error" is a statistical measure based on past performance and is computed using the differences between first and latest estimates. The "Root Mean Square Error" for cattle on feed inventory estimates over the past 24 months is 0.2 percent. This means that chances are 2 out of 3 that the final estimate will not be above or below the current estimate of 11.6 million head by more than 0.2 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 0.3 percent. The table on the following page shows a 24-month record of the range of differences between first and latest estimates for selected items. Using estimates of number on feed as an example, changes between the first estimate and the latest estimate during the past 24 months have averaged 15,000 head, ranging from 0 to 46,000 head. During this period the initial estimate has been above the latest estimate 1 time and has been below the latest estimate 11 times. This does not imply that the initial estimate is likely to understate or overstate final inventory. Reliability of Monthly Cattle on Feed Estimates [Based on data for the past 24 months] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Root mean : 90 percent : Difference between first and latest estimate : square error : confidence : : : : : : : level :------------------------------------------------------------- Item : : : : : : Months : : : : : :------------------------------- : : : Average :Smallest : Largest : Below latest : Above latest -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent -------- 1,000 ------- ----- number ----- : On feed ......................: 0.2 0.3 15 0 46 11 1 : Placements ...................: 0.3 0.6 4 0 20 6 7 : Marketings ...................: 0.1 0.2 1 0 6 6 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@usda.gov. Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch ...... (202) 692-0069 Vacant, Head, Livestock Section Vacant - Dairy Products Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter ... (202) 690-8632 Ryan Cowen - Cattle, Cattle on Feed ....... (202) 720-3040 Kim DaPra - Milk Production and Milk Cows.. (202) 720-3278 Ralph Mondesir - Hogs and Pigs ............ (202) 720-3106 Suzanne Richards - Sheep and Goats ........ (202) 720-4448 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit www.nass.usda.gov and click on "National" or "State" in upper right corner above "search" box to create an account and select the reports you would like to receive. Cornell's Mann Library has launched a new website housing NASS's and other agency's archived reports. The new website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. All email subscriptions containing reports will be sent from the new website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. To continue receiving the reports via e-mail, you will have to go to the new website, create a new account and re-subscribe to the reports. If you need instructions to set up an account or subscribe, they are located at: https://usda.library.cornell.edu/help. You should whitelist notifications@usda-esmis.library.cornell.edu in your email client to avoid the emails going into spam/junk folders. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@usda.gov. If you have specific questions you would like an expert to respond to, please visit our "Ask A Specialist" website at www.nass.usda.gov/Contact_Us/Ask_a_Specialist. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690- 7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.