(NewsDakota.com/NAFB) – Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million on January 1.

The inventory was three percent below January 1 of last year. That inventory included 7.03 million steers and steer calves, down four percent from the previous year. That group accounted for 60 percent of the total inventory. Heifers and heifer calves accounted for 4.65 million head, down one percent from 2022.

Placements in feedlots during December totaled 1.8 million head, eight percent below 2021. Net placements were 1.75 million head. During December, placements of cattle and calves under 600 pounds were 435,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 435,000, 700-799 hit 415,000 head, and 800-899 pounds were 304,000 head.

Marketings of fed cattle during December totaled 1.74 million head, six percent below last year. Other disappearances totaled 54,000 head in December, unchanged from 2021.