Cattle on Feed ISSN: 1948-9080 Released April 20, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). United States Cattle on Feed Up 2 Percent Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.5 million head on April 1, 2012. The inventory was 2 percent above April 1, 2011. The inventory included 7.17 million steers and steer calves, up 1 percent from the previous year. This group accounted for 62 percent of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.25 million head, up 4 percent from 2011. Placements in feedlots during March totaled 1.79 million, 6 percent below 2011. Net placements were 1.72 million head. During March, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 390,000, 600-699 pounds were 300,000, 700-799 pounds were 500,000, and 800 pounds and greater were 602,000. Marketings of fed cattle during March totaled 1.92 million, 4 percent below 2011. Other disappearance totaled 69,000 during March, 30 percent above 2011. Number of Cattle on Feed, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: April 1, 2011 and 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Percent of Item :---------------------------: : 2011 : 2012 :previous year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed March 1 .....................: 11,386 11,677 103 Placed on feed during March .........: 1,914 1,792 94 Fed cattle marketed during March ....: 1,990 1,918 96 Other disappearance during March ....: 53 69 130 On feed April 1 .....................: 11,257 11,482 102 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle on Feed, Placements, Marketings, and Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: March 1, 2011 and 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Percent of Item :---------------------------: : 2011 : 2012 :previous year ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- percent : On feed February 1 .....................: 11,571 11,811 102 Placed on feed during February .........: 1,667 1,714 103 Fed cattle marketed during February ....: 1,791 1,755 98 Other disappearance during February ....: 61 93 152 On feed March 1 ........................: 11,386 11,677 103 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number on Feed by Class on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots - United States: April 1, 2011 and 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Percent of Item :---------------------------: : 2011 : 2012 :previous year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 Head --- percent : Class on Feed April 1 : Steers and Steer Calves ...........: 7,119 7,174 101 Heifers and Heifer Calves .........: 4,090 4,254 104 Cows and Bulls ....................: 48 54 113 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle on Feed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2011 and 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : April 1, 2012 : : :----------------------------------------- State : April 1, 2011 : March 1, 2012 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 head ------------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ........: 276 279 278 101 100 California .....: 450 500 490 109 98 Colorado .......: 1,090 1,090 1,070 98 98 Idaho ..........: 220 230 225 102 98 Iowa ...........: 650 670 670 103 100 Kansas .........: 2,190 2,200 2,170 99 99 Nebraska .......: 2,380 2,570 2,530 106 98 Oklahoma .......: 355 340 320 90 94 South Dakota ...: 265 260 255 96 98 Texas ..........: 2,770 2,840 2,780 100 98 Washington .....: 207 233 233 113 100 : Other States ...: 404 465 461 114 99 : United States ..: 11,257 11,677 11,482 102 98 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle Placed on Feed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2011 and 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During March 2012 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State : March 2011 :February 2012 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ..........: 33 25 27 82 108 California .......: 48 50 53 110 106 Colorado .........: 215 165 160 74 97 Idaho ............: 35 37 34 97 92 Iowa .............: 81 85 73 90 86 Kansas ...........: 415 370 375 90 101 Nebraska .........: 390 410 440 113 107 Oklahoma .........: 75 48 56 75 117 South Dakota .....: 46 47 45 98 96 Texas ............: 490 380 430 88 113 Washington .......: 33 41 37 112 90 : Other States .....: 53 56 62 117 111 : United States ....: 1,914 1,714 1,792 94 105 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Cattle Placed on Feed by Weight Group on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2011 and 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : During March :--------------------------------------------------------------------- State :Under 600 lbs: 600-699 lbs : 700-799 lbs : 800+ lbs : Total :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 head : Colorado .....: 40 30 35 25 70 45 70 60 215 160 Kansas .......: 55 60 70 65 145 125 145 125 415 375 Nebraska .....: 60 50 70 70 120 120 140 200 390 440 Texas ........: 135 155 110 90 150 115 95 70 490 430 : Other States .: 90 95 75 50 104 95 135 147 404 387 : United States : 380 390 360 300 589 500 585 602 1,914 1,792 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : During February :--------------------------------------------------------------------- State :Under 600 lbs: 600-699 lbs : 700-799 lbs : 800+ lbs : Total :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 head : Colorado .....: 30 30 45 30 65 40 75 65 215 165 Kansas .......: 55 70 80 75 150 130 80 95 365 370 Nebraska .....: 60 60 85 70 100 110 105 170 350 410 Texas ........: 160 145 85 85 85 95 50 55 380 380 : Other States .: 95 95 70 75 92 94 100 125 357 389 : United States : 400 400 365 335 492 469 410 510 1,667 1,714 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Number of Cattle Marketed on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2011 and 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During March 2012 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State : March 2011 :February 2012 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ..........: 25 21 27 108 129 California .......: 55 53 61 111 115 Colorado .........: 190 200 175 92 88 Idaho ............: 34 41 38 112 93 Iowa .............: 78 62 71 91 115 Kansas ...........: 435 385 395 91 103 Nebraska .........: 430 390 460 107 118 Oklahoma .........: 78 61 74 95 121 South Dakota .....: 44 45 48 109 107 Texas ............: 540 415 470 87 113 Washington .......: 28 32 36 129 113 : Other States .....: 53 50 63 119 126 : United States ....: 1,990 1,755 1,918 96 109 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Disappearance on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Month - States and United States: 2011 and 2012 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : During March 2012 : During : During :-------------------------------------------- State : March 2011 :February 2012 : : Percent of : Percent of : : : Number :previous year :previous month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------- 1,000 head ---------- ----- percent ---- : Arizona ..........: 1 1 1 100 100 California .......: 3 2 2 67 100 Colorado .........: 5 15 5 100 33 Idaho ............: 1 1 1 100 100 Iowa .............: 3 3 2 67 67 Kansas ...........: 10 15 10 100 67 Nebraska .........: 10 20 20 200 100 Oklahoma .........: 2 2 2 100 100 South Dakota .....: 2 2 2 100 100 Texas ............: 10 25 20 200 80 Washington .......: 3 3 1 33 33 : Other States .....: 3 4 3 100 75 : United States ....: 53 93 69 130 74 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number on Feed by Class on 1,000+ Capacity Feedlots by Quarter - States and United States: 2011 and 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Steers and steer calves :Heifers and heifer calves : Cows and bulls :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Apr 1, : Jan 1, : Apr 1, : Apr 1, : Jan 1, : Apr 1, :Apr 1, :Jan 1, :Apr 1, : 2011 : 2012 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2012 : 2011 : 2012 : 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head : Arizona ......: 268 276 274 8 3 4 0 0 0 California ...: 390 440 425 59 69 65 1 1 0 Colorado .....: 740 745 730 345 400 335 5 5 5 Idaho ........: 120 123 131 94 106 92 6 1 2 Iowa .........: 460 450 480 190 170 189 0 0 1 Kansas .......: 1,220 1,160 1,180 965 1,085 985 5 5 5 Nebraska .....: 1,480 1,530 1,530 890 980 980 10 40 20 Oklahoma .....: 210 215 200 145 160 120 0 0 0 South Dakota .: 135 131 138 114 101 100 16 28 17 Texas ........: 1,680 1,730 1,610 1,090 1,209 1,169 0 1 1 Washington ...: 135 150 143 68 80 88 4 2 2 : Other States .: 281 331 333 122 133 127 1 1 1 : United States : 7,119 7,281 7,174 4,090 4,496 4,254 48 84 54 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terms and Definitions of Cattle on Feed Estimates Cattle on feed are animals being fed a ration of grain, silage, hay and/or protein supplement for slaughter market that are expected to produce a carcass that will grade select or better. It excludes cattle being "backgrounded only" for later sale as feeders or later placement in another feedlot. Placements are cattle put into a feedlot, fed a ration which will produce a carcass that will grade select or better, and are intended for the slaughter market. Marketings are cattle shipped out of feedlots to a slaughter market. Other disappearance includes death loss, movement from feedlots to pasture, and shipments to other feedlots for further feeding. Reliability of Cattle on Feed Estimates Survey Procedures: During January and July all known feedlots in the United States with capacity of 1,000 or more head are surveyed to provide data for cattle on feed estimates. During the other months, all known feedlots from 16 States are surveyed. The 16 States account for approximately 98 percent of the cattle on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head. Individual State estimates are published monthly for 11 of the 16 States. Data collected from the remaining 5 States are used to establish the "Other States" estimates. These 5 States include Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming. The "Other States" category represents all cattle on feed with a capacity of 1,000 or more head for the rest of the United States. Estimating Procedures: These cattle on feed estimates were prepared by the Agricultural Statistics Board after reviewing recommendations and analysis submitted by each State office. Regional and State survey data were reviewed for reasonableness with each other and with estimates from the previous month when establishing the current estimates. Revision Policy: Revisions to previous estimates are made to improve month to month relationships. Estimates for the previous month are subject to revision in all States each month when current estimates are made. In February, all monthly estimates for the previous year, and the number of feedlots and annual marketings from two years ago are reviewed and subject to revisions. The reviews are primarily based on slaughter data, state check-off or brand data, and any other data that may have been received after the original estimate was made. Estimates will also be reviewed after data from the Census of Agriculture are available. No revisions will be made after that date and estimates become final. Reliability: Since all 1,000+ capacity cattle on feed operators in every State are not included in the monthly survey, survey estimates are subject to sampling variability. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omissions, duplications, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. The effects of these errors cannot be measured directly. They are minimized through rigid quality controls in the data collection process and through a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. To assist users in evaluating the reliability of estimates in this report, the "Root Mean Square Error" is shown for selected items in the table on the following page. The "Root Mean Square Error" is a statistical measure based on past performance and is computed using the differences between first and latest estimates. The "Root Mean Square Error" for cattle on feed inventory estimates over the past 24 months is 0.2 percent. This means that chances are 2 out of 3 that the final estimate will not be above or below the current estimate of 11.5 million head by more than 0.1 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 0.3 percent. The table on the following page shows a 24 month record of the range of differences between first and latest estimates for selected items. Using estimates of number on feed as an example, changes between the first estimate and the latest estimate during the past 24 months have averaged 15,000 head, ranging from 0 to 47,000 head. During this period the initial estimate has been above the latest estimate 14 times and has been below the latest estimate 7 times. This does not imply that the initial estimate is likely to understate or overstate final inventory. Reliability of Monthly Cattle on Feed Estimates [Based on data for the past 24 months] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Root mean : 90 percent : Difference between first and latest estimate : square error : confidence : : : : : : : level :------------------------------------------------------------- Item : : : : : : Months : : : : : :------------------------------- : : : Average :Smallest : Largest : Below latest : Above latest -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent -------- 1,000 ------- ----- number ---- : Number on feed ...............: 0.2 0.3 15 0 47 7 14 : Placements ...................: 0.3 0.5 4 0 18 9 9 : Marketings ...................: 0.3 0.5 3 0 20 8 6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch ........... (202) 720-3570 Scott Hollis, Head, Livestock Section ........... (202) 690-2424 Travis Averill - Cattle, Cattle on Feed ...... (202) 720-3040 Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter ...... (515) 284-4340 Doug Bounds - Hogs and Pigs, Goats ........... (202) 720-3106 Mike Miller - Milk Production and Milk Cows .. (202) 720-3278 Lorie Warren - Dairy Products, Sheep ......... (202) 690-3236 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the "Follow NASS" box under "Receive reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports you would like to receive. 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