Cattle on feed inventories

May 31, 2022

“The May 1, 2022 USDA release of cattle and calves on feed for U.S. feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head reported 12 million head,” says Ann Boyda, provincial livestock market analyst with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development. “This inventory was the highest May 1 inventory since 1996, representing a 2% increase over May 1, 2021. The report suggests that the drought in the U.S. is affecting the flow of cattle from grass to feedlots.”

Canfax has similarly reported high cattle on feed inventories with placements above year ago levels in March and April.

“Alberta and Saskatchewan cattle on feed inventories have been running above year ago levels since August 2021. In April, disappearance numbers were down as cattle typically destined for grass stayed in the feedlot to be finished,” says Brenna Grant, executive director with Canfax.

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.