USDA will release its Cattle on Feed report tomorrow; the consensus pre-report analysts’ estimate is for the inventory of cattle on feed as of 1 April to be 102 percent of last year; this would be the seventh consecutive month that inventories were equal to or larger than the previous year. March placements and marketings are expected to drop to 92 and 88 percent respectively of last year’s totals.  Note the range of estimates for placements is the smallest in several months and the range for total inventory on feed is very tight, ranging from a low of 101.6 percent to a high of 102.5 percent.

As WPI has noted previously, the April cattle on feed report shows a quarterly breakdown between steer and heifers in the on-fee...