Cattle on Feed ISSN: 1948-9080 Released November 19, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). United States Cattle on Feed Up 3 Percent Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.5 million head on November 1, 2010. The inventory was 3 percent above November 1, 2009. Placements in feedlots during October totaled 2.50 million, 1 percent above 2009. Net placements were 2.44 million head. During October, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 725,000, 600-699 pounds were 640,000, 700-799 pounds were 514,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 625,000. Marketings of fed cattle during October totaled 1.73 million, 1 percent below 2009. This is the second lowest fed cattle marketings for the month of October since the series began in 1996. Other disappearance totaled 62,000 during October, 5 percent above 2009. Number of Cattle on Feed, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: November 1, 2009 and 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Percent of Item :---------------------------: : 2009 : 2010 :previous year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed October 1 ...................: 10,474 10,779 103 Placed on feed during October .......: 2,474 2,504 101 Fed cattle marketed during October ..: 1,755 1,734 99 Other disappearance during October ..: 59 62 105 On feed November 1 ..................: 11,134 11,487 103 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle on Feed, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: October 1, 2009 and 2010 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Percent of Item :---------------------------: : 2009 : 2010 :previous year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed September 1 .................: 9,900 10,173 103 Placed on feed during September .....: 2,388 2,462 103 Fed cattle marketed during September : 1,767 1,802 102 Other disappearance during September : 47 54 115 On feed October 1 ...................: 10,474 10,779 103 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle on Feed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2009 and 2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : November 1, 2010 : : :----------------------------------------- State :November 1, 2009 : October 1, 2010 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 head ------------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ........: 279 240 251 90 105 California .....: 470 445 460 98 103 Colorado .......: 1,040 1,000 1,090 105 109 Idaho ..........: 210 200 215 102 108 Iowa ...........: 540 570 610 113 107 Kansas .........: 2,330 2,330 2,400 103 103 Nebraska .......: 2,400 2,220 2,420 101 109 Oklahoma .......: 375 370 385 103 104 South Dakota ...: 205 205 230 112 112 Texas ..........: 2,730 2,640 2,820 103 107 Washington .....: 155 177 192 124 108 : Other States ...: 400 382 414 104 108 : United States ..: 11,134 10,779 11,487 103 107 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle Placed on Feed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2009 and 2010 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During October 2010 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State : October 2009 :September 2010: : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ..........: 29 22 32 110 145 California .......: 57 55 65 114 118 Colorado .........: 245 295 270 110 92 Idaho ............: 50 57 53 106 93 Iowa .............: 123 122 142 115 116 Kansas ...........: 465 510 435 94 85 Nebraska .........: 620 540 580 94 107 Oklahoma .........: 83 87 80 96 92 South Dakota .....: 65 57 70 108 123 Texas ............: 610 580 640 105 110 Washington .......: 38 44 52 137 118 : Other States .....: 89 93 85 96 91 : United States ....: 2,474 2,462 2,504 101 102 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle Placed on Feed by Weight Group on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2009 and 2010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : During October :--------------------------------------------------------------------- State :Under 600 lbs: 600-699 lbs : 700-799 lbs : 800+ lbs : Total :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 head : Colorado .....: 50 55 45 55 60 60 90 100 245 270 Kansas .......: 85 90 120 115 150 125 110 105 465 435 Nebraska .....: 160 170 175 160 95 90 190 160 620 580 Texas ........: 150 220 180 190 180 145 100 85 610 640 : Other States .: 170 190 125 120 94 94 145 175 534 579 : United States : 615 725 645 640 579 514 635 625 2,474 2,504 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : During September :--------------------------------------------------------------------- State :Under 600 lbs: 600-699 lbs : 700-799 lbs : 800+ lbs : Total :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 : 2009 : 2010 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : Colorado .....: 20 35 25 35 65 65 150 160 260 295 Kansas .......: 85 75 115 110 155 160 155 165 510 510 Nebraska .....: 65 75 90 80 120 130 275 255 550 540 Texas ........: 175 190 160 165 160 145 75 80 570 580 : Other States .: 145 135 60 65 93 102 200 235 498 537 : United States : 490 510 450 455 593 602 855 895 2,388 2,462 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Number of Cattle Marketed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2009 and 2010 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During October 2010 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State : October 2009 :September 2010: : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ..........: 24 21 20 83 95 California .......: 50 43 48 96 112 Colorado .........: 160 180 170 106 94 Idaho ............: 44 41 37 84 90 Iowa .............: 100 108 100 100 93 Kansas ...........: 340 370 350 103 95 Nebraska .........: 380 360 370 97 103 Oklahoma .........: 60 71 63 105 89 South Dakota .....: 54 45 44 81 98 Texas ............: 465 475 445 96 94 Washington .......: 29 33 36 124 109 : Other States .....: 49 55 51 104 93 : United States ....: 1,755 1,802 1,734 99 96 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2009 and 2010 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During October 2010 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State : October 2009 :September 2010: : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------- 1,000 head ---------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ..........: 1 1 1 100 100 California .......: 2 2 2 100 100 Colorado .........: 5 5 10 200 200 Idaho ............: 1 1 1 100 100 Iowa .............: 3 4 2 67 50 Kansas ...........: 15 10 15 100 150 Nebraska .........: 10 10 10 100 100 Oklahoma .........: 3 1 2 67 200 South Dakota .....: 1 2 1 100 50 Texas ............: 15 15 15 100 100 Washington .......: 1 1 1 100 100 : Other States .....: 2 2 2 100 100 : United States ....: 59 54 62 105 115 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terms and Definitions of Cattle on Feed Estimates Cattle on feed are animals 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 cattle 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 cattle 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. Reliability of Cattle on Feed Estimates 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 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. Data collected from the remaining 5 States are used to establish the "Other States" estimates. These 5 States include IL, MN, NM, OR, and WY. 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 each State office. 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 0.05 percent. This means that chances are 2 out of 3 that the final estimate will not be above or below the current estimate of 11.5 million head by more than 0.05 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 0.09 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 3,000 head, ranging from 0 to 18,000 head. During this period the initial estimate has been above the latest estimate 6 times and has been below the latest estimate 4 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 ---- : Number on feed ...............: 0.05 0.09 3 0 18 4 6 : Placements ...................: 0.16 0.28 1 0 9 4 4 : Marketings ...................: 0.29 0.50 2 0 21 7 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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@nass.usda.gov Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch ........... (202) 720-3570 Scott Hollis, Head, Livestock Section ........... (202) 690-2424 Lorie Warren - Dairy Products ................ (202) 690-3236 Joe Gaynor - Dairy Products Prices ........... (202) 690-2168 Jason Hardegree - Cattle, Cattle on Feed ..... (202) 720-3040 Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter ...... (515) 284-4340 Everett Olbert - Sheep and Goats ............. (202) 720-4751 Mike Miller - Milk Production and Milk Cows .. (202) 720-3278 Nick Streff - Hogs and Pigs .................. (202) 720-3106 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: http://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 http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the "Receive NASS Updates" box under "Receive reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports you would like to receive. Printed reports may be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) by calling toll-free (800) 999-6779, or (703) 605-6220 if calling from outside the United States or Canada. Accepted methods of payment are Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order. 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@nass.usda.gov. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377- 8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.