The latest USDA Cattle on Feed Report shows the on feed number slightly above a year ago- Placements off seven percent and marketings down nine percent. But OSU Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel tells Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays that the real key number may be the percentage of heifers in the steer/heifer mix in this quarterly report- it edges back higher compared to April to just under forty percent of the total cattle feedlot numbers.
Listen to Hays and Dr. Peel as they review the Cattle on Feed Numbers- click on the listen bar below: (they talked at the Annual OCA Convention in Norman after the report was released on Friday afternoon)
The marketings number- at first glance- was significantly lower than a year ago- but Dr. Peel reminds Hays that we had fewer days to market cattle. “We had two less days in this June of 2024 compared to a year ago. It doesn’t happen very often that we get two days difference in a year to year comparison of the month. That means that marketing number at 91%- you adjust it for two less days- it’s virtually at the same level of marketing as a year ago and that makes it a very respectable marketing number.”
As for the breakdown of heifers versus steers provided in quarterly reports- the heifer number suggests cattle producers are still sending a lot of their females to the feedlot. “Heifers were even with a year ago in terms of the number of heifers in the feedlots. When you look at heifers as a percent of the feedlot total…it actually went back up compared to the April quarter- so we are right at 40%- 39.6% of all the cattle in the feedlots on July first were still heifers, so we continue to feed a lot of heifers is the bottom line.” Dr. Peel also says that when heifers on feed as a percentage is above 39%- it suggests there are fewer heifers than are needed to start herd rebuilding being held back by cattle producers. When we were aggressively rebuilding cattle herds after the drought of 2012-14, heifers in feedlots were under 34% of the total numbers being fed.
Here is the summary released by USDA in the July 19th Cattle on Feed report:
“Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head
totaled 11.3 million head on July 1, 2024. The inventory was 1 percent above July 1, 2023. The inventory included
6.82 million steers and steer calves, up 1 percent from the previous year. This group accounted for 60 percent of the total
inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.48 million head, up slightly from 2023.
“Placements in feedlots during June totaled 1.56 million head, 7 percent below 2023. Net placements were
1.51 million head. During June, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 365,000 head,
600-699 pounds were 255,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 350,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 349,000 head,
900-999 pounds were 165,000 head, and 1,000 pounds and greater were 80,000 head.
“Marketings of fed cattle during June totaled 1.79 million head, 9 percent below 2023. Marketings were the second lowest for June since the series began in 1996.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR at the top of the story for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
