Cattle On Feed

The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA, NASS) released their monthly Cattle on Feed report on Friday April 22, 2016. The latest numbers released by the USDA were bullish in total numbers of placements and marketings, compared to trade expectations. Total cattle on feed on April 1, 2016 numbered 10.9 million head, up 0.5 percent from April 2015 levels, and at industry expectations.

 

Placements in feedlots during March totaled 1.89 million head, up 4.6 percent from 2015, and slightly lower than expected.  Placements were up 10% in Colorado, 4% in Kansas, 3% in Nebraska, and 8% in Texas.  This is the second month in a row where placements have seen a year over year increase, and based on growing cattle supplies will likely remain up for the duration of 2016.  Cattle weighing over 800 pounds saw an increase of 6.9%.  Placements for cattle weighing under 600 pounds decreased by 3.6%, cattle weighing 600-699 was on par with 2015, cattle 700-700 increased 10.3%, and cattle weighing over 800 pounds increased by 6.9%.  This trend for placing heavier cattle and the subsequent lower number of days on feed will likely continue for another couple of months due to the sharp decrease in cattle prices and the discount structure in far-deferred contracts.

 

March marketings, at 1.89 million head, were up 7 percent were higher than industry expectations. There was one more marketing day available in 2016 compared to 2015, which would attribute to greater marketings.  The number of cattle on feed over 120 days is below year ago levels.

 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.