All Cattle on Feed Up

The USDA says 1.7 million cattle were placed into feedlots during the month of May, a 10 percent decline from 2025. While within pre-report expectations, it was at the low end of the range.

Placements declined significantly for Kansas, Nebraska and Texas. Continued tight supplies pulled marketings down 12 percent from 2025, the second lowest for May since the series began in 1996.

All cattle and calves on feed, however, totaled 11.7 million head, up 2 percent from June 1, 2025.

The USDA’s next round of cattle on feed numbers and the USDA’s all Cattle Inventory report comes out July 24.

Comparison for select states:

Iowa: On Feed: 680,000 head, unchanged from June 1st, 2025; Placements: 77,000 head, 4% higher than May 2025; Marketings: 75,000 head, 4% more than last year

Kansas: On Feed: 2.42 million head, up 3% from June 1st, 2025; Placements: 420,000 head, 11% lower than May 2025; Marketings: 360,000 head, 10% less than last year

Nebraska: On Feed: 2.63 million head, up 3% from June 1st, 2025; Placements: 410,000 head, 17% lower than May 2025; Marketings: 405,000 head, 14% less than last year

South Dakota: On Feed: 235,000 head, up 7% from June 1st, 2025; Placements: 23,000 head, 4% lower than May 2025; Marketings: 31,000 head, 16% less than last year

EDITOR’S TAKE:

Short-term cattle supplies remain tight, and retail prices will continue to be higher than “normal”. The good news is that all cattle on feed is higher than a year ago. That could be a first signal that the tide may be turning, and we might have a larger supply in a year or two. Once again, we will keep an eye on supply and demand for beef.

So as a reminder, beef producers, despite some higher input costs, are still doing quite well, thank you. Keep them at the top of your ag customer prospect list. Be sure to keep them abreast of your current inventory of trucks and SUV’s. A great way to do this is by using AgTruckTrader.com®!