Cattle on Feed ISSN: 1948-9080 Released January 24, 2025, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Special Note Beginning with this publication, Other States will also include Minnesota. United States Cattle on Feed Down 1 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 11.8 million head on January 1, 2025. The inventory was 1 percent below January 1, 2024. The inventory included 7.25 million steers and steer calves, up 1 percent from the previous year. This group accounted for 61 percent of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.58 million head, down 3 percent from 2024. Placements in feedlots during December totaled 1.64 million head, 3 percent below 2023. Net placements were 1.58 million head. During December, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 395,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 380,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 375,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 287,000 head, 900-999 pounds were 115,000 head, and 1,000 pounds and greater were 90,000 head. Marketings of fed cattle during December totaled 1.74 million head, 1 percent above 2023. Other disappearance totaled 59,000 head during December, 2 percent below 2023. Cattle on Feed Inventory, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: January 1, 2024 and 2025 [December preceding year] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Percent of Item : 2024 : 2025 :previous year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed December 1 .....................: 12,016 11,982 100 Placed on feed during December .........: 1,698 1,642 97 Fed cattle marketed during December ....: 1,724 1,742 101 Other disappearance during December ....: 60 59 98 On feed January 1 ......................: 11,930 11,823 99 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cattle on Feed Inventory, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: December 1, 2023 and 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Percent of Item : 2023 : 2024 :previous year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed November 1 .....................: 11,956 11,966 100 Placed on feed during November .........: 1,865 1,796 96 Fed cattle marketed during November ....: 1,751 1,725 99 Other disappearance during November ....: 54 55 102 On feed December 1 .....................: 12,016 11,982 100 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cattle on Feed by Class on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: January 1, 2024 and 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Percent of Item : : :----------------------------- : 2024 : 2025 :previous year : inventory -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- percent percent : Class on feed January 1 ................: Steers and steer calves ..............: 7,195 7,248 101 61 Heifers and heifer calves ............: 4,735 4,575 97 39 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cattle on Feed Inventory on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2024 and 2025 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : January 1, 2025 : : :-------------------------------------------- State : January 1, 2024 :December 1, 2024 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Inventory :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --------------- 1,000 head -------------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 265 232 233 88 100 California .......: 520 510 520 100 102 Colorado .........: 1,020 1,060 1,050 103 99 Idaho ............: 335 330 330 99 100 Iowa .............: 630 660 650 103 98 Kansas ...........: 2,480 2,420 2,400 97 99 Minnesota ........: 105 105 (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 2,560 2,600 2,580 101 99 Oklahoma .........: 335 365 360 107 99 South Dakota .....: 230 235 230 100 98 Texas ............: 2,860 2,880 2,780 97 97 Washington .......: 270 260 255 94 98 : Other States .....: 320 325 435 136 134 : United States ....: 11,930 11,982 11,823 99 99 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Cattle Placed on Feed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2023 and 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During December 2024 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State :December 2023 :November 2024 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Placements :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 20 22 23 115 105 California .......: 77 52 65 84 125 Colorado .........: 135 135 135 100 100 Idaho ............: 45 45 41 91 91 Iowa .............: 83 91 86 104 95 Kansas ...........: 395 400 410 104 103 Minnesota ........: 16 15 (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 435 510 460 106 90 Oklahoma .........: 43 44 35 81 80 South Dakota .....: 37 56 38 103 68 Texas ............: 330 345 255 77 74 Washington .......: 38 34 31 82 91 : Other States .....: 44 47 63 143 134 : United States ....: 1,698 1,796 1,642 97 91 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Cattle Placed on Feed by Weight Group on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots and Month - States and United States: 2023 and 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : During December 2023 :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ......: 30 35 30 20 20 (D) (D) 135 Kansas ........: 60 90 120 80 45 (D) (D) 395 Nebraska ......: 50 105 100 90 90 (D) (D) 435 Texas .........: 150 85 55 30 10 (D) (D) 330 : Other States ..: 145 95 75 58 30 (D) (D) 403 : United States .: 435 410 380 278 (X) 110 85 1,698 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : During November 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 ......: 40 30 25 20 20 (D) (D) 135 Kansas ........: 60 95 120 80 45 (D) (D) 400 Nebraska ......: 100 120 95 90 105 (D) (D) 510 Texas .........: 140 85 70 35 15 (D) (D) 345 : Other States ..: 155 90 65 51 45 (D) (D) 406 : United States .: 495 420 375 276 (X) 145 85 1,796 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : During December 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 ......: 30 35 30 20 20 (D) (D) 135 Kansas ........: 60 95 120 90 45 (D) (D) 410 Nebraska ......: 55 105 105 100 95 (D) (D) 460 Texas .........: 110 60 50 25 10 (D) (D) 255 : Other States ..: 140 85 70 52 35 (D) (D) 382 : United States .: 395 380 375 287 (X) 115 90 1,642 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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: 2023 and 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During December 2024 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State :December 2023 :November 2024 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Marketings :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 20 20 21 105 105 California .......: 61 51 49 80 96 Colorado .........: 140 130 135 96 104 Idaho ............: 39 44 40 103 91 Iowa .............: 92 100 95 103 95 Kansas ...........: 405 380 420 104 111 Minnesota ........: 10 14 (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 440 480 465 106 97 Oklahoma .........: 32 42 39 122 93 South Dakota .....: 35 45 42 120 93 Texas ............: 365 330 345 95 105 Washington .......: 37 43 35 95 81 : Other States .....: 48 46 56 117 122 : United States ....: 1,724 1,725 1,742 101 101 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Cattle Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2023 and 2024 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During December 2024 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State :December 2023 :November 2024 : Other : Percent of : Percent of : : :disappearance :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------- 1,000 head ---------- ----- percent ----- : Arizona ..........: 1 1 1 100 100 California .......: 6 6 6 100 100 Colorado .........: 5 5 10 200 200 Idaho ............: 1 1 1 100 100 Iowa .............: 1 1 1 100 100 Kansas ...........: 10 10 10 100 100 Minnesota ........: 1 1 (NA) (NA) (NA) Nebraska .........: 15 10 15 100 150 Oklahoma .........: 1 2 1 100 50 South Dakota .....: 2 1 1 50 100 Texas ............: 15 15 10 67 67 Washington .......: 1 1 1 100 100 : Other States .....: 1 1 2 200 200 : United States ....: 60 55 59 98 107 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (NA) Not available. Cattle on Feed by Class on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Quarter - States and United States: 2024 and 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Steers and steer calves : Heifers and heifer calves :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Jan 1, : Oct 1, : Jan 1, : Jan 1, : Oct 1, : Jan 1, : 2024 : 2024 : 2025 : 2024 : 2024 : 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head : Arizona ............: 250 220 218 15 10 15 California .........: 415 420 420 105 95 100 Colorado ...........: 540 525 550 480 475 500 Idaho ..............: 180 175 175 155 155 155 Iowa ...............: 475 510 500 155 150 150 Kansas .............: 1,380 1,340 1,410 1,100 1,030 990 Minnesota ..........: 85 85 (NA) 20 15 (NA) Nebraska ...........: 1,590 1,530 1,630 970 940 950 Oklahoma ...........: 195 190 205 140 155 155 South Dakota .......: 135 110 135 95 85 95 Texas ..............: 1,610 1,560 1,570 1,250 1,260 1,210 Washington .........: 145 135 140 125 120 115 : Other States .......: 195 200 295 125 110 140 : United States ......: 7,195 7,000 7,248 4,735 4,600 4,575 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (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 12 of the 16 States. Data collected from the remaining 4 States are used to establish the "Other States" estimates. These 4 States include Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming. 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 11.8 million head by more than 0.2 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 0.4 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 19,000 head, ranging from 0 to 50,000 head. During this period the initial estimate has been above the latest estimate 1 time and has been below the latest estimate 13 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 0.4 19 0 50 13 1 : Placements ...................: 0.4 0.7 5 0 20 7 8 : Marketings ...................: 0.1 0.2 1 0 6 6 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Scott Hollis, Head, Livestock Section ........ (202) 690-2424 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 Donnie Fike - Dairy Products .............. (202) 690-3347 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. 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