USDA’s monthly Cattle on Feed report will be released tomorrow. Analysts’ pre-report consensus estimates are for the total inventory on feed to be 99.2 percent of last year with the range of estimates between 99.4 percent and 100.3 percent of 1 February 2024.   

Marketings are estimated to be 98.2 percent of last year, coming in at a range of 97.7 percent to 98.7 percent. Placements, the most difficult category to estimate, are expected to be between a wide range of 98.9 percent of last year and 92.6 percent, for an average of 95.9 percent.  The combination of relatively larger marketings and no change in placements would pull down the number of cattle on feed on 1 February to below the prior February. Sooner or...