News

Cattle placements jump 11%

The USDA says placements of cattle into feedlots during July 2020 were 1.893 million head, 11% more than in July 2019. That is larger than what most analysts were expecting heading into the report, but feeding operations were in need of supplies, especially cattle that could turned around in a fairly short amount of time, with most of the placements weighing between 700 and 900 pounds. Those cattle will be marketed this winter through early spring. By weight, placements of cattle weighing less than 600 pounds were 420,000 head, 600 to 699 pound placements were 315,000 head, and placements of cattle weighing 700 to 799 pounds were 435,000 head, while 800 to 899 pound placements were 458,000 head, 900 to 999 pound placements were 195,000 head, and placements of cattle weighing more than 1,000 pounds were 70,000 head.

Marketings during July were 1.990  million head, 1% below a year ago, while the total number of cattle on feed on August 1st was 11.284 million head, 2% above the year before, and the highest inventory for the month since the series of reports started in 1996.

Year to year comparisons for Brownfield states:

Iowa: Cattle on feed: 620,000 head, down 2% from August 1st, 2019; Placements: 63,000 head, up 3% from a year ago; Marketings: 70,000 head, down 9% from last year

Minnesota: Cattle on feed: 120,000 head, up 9% from August 1st, 2019; Placements: 11,000 head, unchanged from a year ago; Marketings: 15,000 head, down 40% from last year

Nebraska: Cattle on feed: 2.22 million head, up 1% from August 1st, 2019; Placements: 470,000 head, up 18% from a year ago; Marketings: 500,000 head, up 2% from last year

South Dakota: Cattle on feed: 180,000 head, down 8% from August 1st, 2019; Placements: 20,000 head, down 13% from a year ago; Marketings: 24,000 head, down 35% from last year