WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — U.S. cattle on feed moved higher in May as placements increased and fed cattle marketings slowed sharply. USDA says cattle and calves on feed in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or more totaled 11.6 million head on May 1, up 2 percent from a year earlier.
April placements totaled 1.70 million head, up 6 percent from 2025. Net placements were 1.65 million head, with the largest weight group coming from 800- to 899-pound cattle.
Marketings were the bigger market signal. USDA says April fed cattle marketings totaled 1.64 million head, down 10 percent from last year.
Nebraska reported the largest May 1 inventory, at 2.64 million head, followed closely by Texas at 2.58 million head. Kansas was third at 2.37 million head.
The report reinforces a tight slaughter pace even as feedlot inventories remain above last year’s levels.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Higher placements lifted feedlot inventories, but slower marketings point to continued tightness in finished cattle movement.
Tony St. James RFD News Markets Specialist
National Pork Board’s Andy Tauer discusses the growing popularity of the Boston Butt Pork Burger and key topics at the USMEF Spring Conference.
Smith’s Farm Market now draws visitors with produce, flowers, and homemade ice cream.
Ashley Stockwell discusses representing dairy farmers during one of motorsports’ most recognizable traditions.
NRCS leadership affects how conservation dollars, technical assistance and working-lands priorities reach farmers and ranchers.
Ag Commissioner Sid Miller and Rep. Henry Cuellar say rising costs and generational shifts are making it harder to keep young producers in the industry.
Texas Farm Bureau takes us behind the scenes at USDA’s sterile fly facility, considered a first line of defense against New World Screwworm, a fight Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller fears is “futile.”
