Shrinking Feedlot Cattle On Feed

It’s the Ranch It Up Radio Show Herd It Here Weekly Report!  A 3-minute look at cattle markets, reports, news info, or anything that has to do with those of us who live at the end of dirt roads.  Join Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt, the Boss Lady Rebecca Wanner aka 'BEC' by subscribing on your favorite podcasting app or on the Ranch It Up Radio Show YouTube Channel. EPISODE 122 DETAILS Smaller Inventories Of Cattle On Feed According to Derrell Peel, Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist and Agricultural Economist with Oklahoma State University, the latest United States Department of Agriculture Cattle on Feed report placed feedlot inventories at 11.505 million head as of February 1. That total is 1.8 percent below year-ago levels and marks the fifteenth straight month of year-over-year declines. January placements fell 4.7 percent compared to last year, while marketings were down 13.0 percent, likely due in part to a winter storm late in the month that pushed some marketings into February. Overall, the report came in largely as expected and offered no significant surprises to the market. Peel also emphasized the structure of the cattle feeding sector. Of the nation’s 26,082 feedlots, approximately 24,000 have capacities under 1,000 head. While these smaller operations make up 92 percent of all feedlots, they accounted for only 12.9 percent of total marketings in 2025, averaging fewer than 126 head sold per feedlot. Meanwhile, the 2,082 feedlots with capacities exceeding 1,000 head were responsible for 87.1 percent of the 23.483 million head marketed. Among them, just 7.1 percent — those with more than 32,000 head capacity — marketed 58.8 percent of fed cattle in 2025. In fact, the 82 largest feedlots, each with capacity above 50,000 head, marketed 8.39 million head combined, averaging more than 102,000 head per operation for the year. Reference:  https://www.nationalbeefwire.com/u-s-cattle-report Upcoming Feeder Cattle, Bull & Cow Sales On RanchChannel.Com Lots of feeder cattle, steers & heifers, bulls, and cow sales coming up on the RanchChannel.Com sale calendar.  Check out the full line up HERE. SPONSORS Jorgensen Land & Cattle https://jorgensenfarms.com/ @JorLandCat Ranch Channel https://ranchchannel.com/ @RanchChannel Questions & Concerns From The Field? Call or Text your questions, or comments to 707-RANCH20 or 707-726-2420 Or email [email protected] FOLLOW Facebook/Instagram: @RanchItUpShow SUBSCRIBE to the Ranch It Up YouTube Channel: @ranchitup Website: RanchItUpShow.com https://ranchitupshow.com/ The Ranch It Up Podcast is available on ALL podcasting apps. https://ranchitup.podbean.com/ Rural America is center-stage on this outfit. AND how is that? Because of Tigger & BEC... Live This Western Lifestyle. Tigger & BEC represent the Working Ranch world by providing the cowboys, cowgirls, beef cattle producers & successful farmers the knowledge and education needed to bring high-quality beef & meat to your table for dinner. Learn more about Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt & Rebecca Wanner aka BEC here: TiggerandBEC.com https://tiggerandbec.com/