WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The January Cattle-on-Feed Report (PDF Version) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reinforced a tightening cattle supply picture, with on-feed inventories and placements running slightly stronger than pre-report expectations, while marketings also topped estimates. The combination keeps attention on shrinking feeder supplies and the pace of marketing as 2026 gets underway.
Cattle on feed in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or more totaled 11.5 million head on January 1, down 3 percent from a year earlier. That translated to 97 percent of last year, above the average trade guess of 96.8 percent. The inventory included 7.02 million steers and steer calves and 4.44 million heifers and heifer calves, both down 3 percent year over year, with steers making up 61 percent of total cattle on feed.
December placements totaled 1.55 million head, or 95 percent of last year’s total, which was higher than the average trade estimate of 93.5 percent. Placements were spread across weight categories, led by cattle under 800 pounds, but the year-over-year decline continues to signal limited feeder availability. Marketings totaled 1.77 million head, or 102 percent of last year, also above the average trade guess of 101.5 percent, pointing to steady pull-through from feedyards.
State-level inventories showed a shifting regional balance among the biggest feeding states. Nebraska remained the top cattle feeding state, up 2 percent year over year, while Texas ranked second but was down 9 percent. Kansas was flat from a year earlier, holding steady as overall U.S. on-feed numbers declined.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Placements and marketings beat expectations, but declining on-feed totals and feeder constraints keep the supply story supportive for cattle prices into 2026.
Tony St. James, RFD NEWS Markets Specialist
AFBF Economist Danny Munch shares how passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act could give the dairy industry a needed boost.
November 06, 2025 02:31 PM
·
Texas Cattle Feeders Association Chairman Robby Kirkland explains how the ongoing U.S.-Mexico border closure impacts feed yards that rely on Mexican cattle due to the New World Screwworm.
November 06, 2025 12:01 PM
·
Global nitrogen and phosphate prices remain high despite improved supply fundamentals, with limited Chinese exports and stronger fall applications tightening availability.
November 06, 2025 11:16 AM
·
Record output, larger stocks, and softer exports point to a well-supplied domestic ethanol market as harvest progresses.
November 06, 2025 10:53 AM
·
U.S. sugar producers and processors should brace for price pressure and challenging export logistics with global sugar supply ramping up — driven by Brazil, India, and Thailand — especially at the raw processing level.
November 05, 2025 01:02 PM
·
The Farm Bureau urges trade enforcement, biofuel growth, fair input pricing, and pro-farmer policy reforms to restore long-term certainty.
November 05, 2025 11:41 AM
·
The Sheinbaum–Rollins meeting signals progress, but the focus remains on fully containing screwworm before cross-border movement resumes.
November 05, 2025 10:18 AM
·
The first-ever “MICHELIN Guide to the American South” awards stars to top restaurants across Georgia, Louisiana, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, and pinpoints the region as a global food destination for the first time.
November 04, 2025 05:44 PM
·
Livestock profits are propping up overall sentiment, but crop producers remain cautious amid tight margins and uncertain policy signals.
November 04, 2025 01:45 PM
·
