USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year.
September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements setting a record low for the respective month. Marketings followed suit with the lowest September total on record and extending that streak for a fourth consecutive month.
Like previous months, most of the on-feed inventory came not from more cattle being placed in feedlots but from slower marketings and feeding cattle to heavier weights. It takes longer to move the cattle through the system with cattle being fed to heavier weights. The estimated number...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
Total Red Meat & Poultry September 2026 total red meat and poultry stocks totaled 1.97 billion pounds, down 1.4 percent from August despite typically increasing 0.8 percent during the month, and were 1.5 percent below September 2025 levels. The decline pushed total inventories to a new five...
