Farm Progress America, Dec. 23, 2024

Mike Pearson takes a look at the latest cattle on feed report released Friday after the markets closed.

The cattle on feedlots with more than 1000 head totaled 12 million head on Dec. 1-- a slight decline from 2023.

The report did align with what experts expected.

On this report, placements totaled 1.8 million in December which was down 4 percent from 2023.

The inventories staying tight was the theme for 2024.

Marketers were anticipating this decline due to seasonal dynamics.

Producers worked to rush cattle this fall to the market calves due to higher prices which also impacted the report.

Restraints on Mexican cattle due to the discovery of New World Screwworm also impacted the placement status.

Nebraska showed 510,000 cattle placed which was a decrease of 17 percent month to month but still out pacing other states.

South Dakota placements increased from November with feeder weights by over 800 pounds.

Washington State cattle placements were down 4 percent reflecting a softer demand in the Northwest.

Death loss and cattle moved to pastures ticked up a little bit in the report.

The impacts on the market may not be felt until after the Christmas holiday due to many traders out of the office.

Farm Progress America is a daily look at key issues in agriculture. It is produced and presented by Mike Pearson, farm broadcaster and host of This Week in Agribusiness .

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