(NAFB.com) – 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 11.6 million head on June 1. That number was slightly below June 1, 2023. Placements in feedlots during May totaled 2.05 million head, four percent above 2023. Feedlot placements were 1.98 million head. Fed cattle marketings in May reached 1.96 million head, slightly higher than in 2023. In another USDA report, milk production in the 24 major dairy-producing states during May totaled 18.9 billion pounds, down 0.7 percent from May 2023. April’s revised production reached 18.3 billion pounds. Production per cow averaged 2,122 pounds for May, three pounds below May 2023. The number of milk cows on farms reached 8.89 million head, 52,000 less than in May 2023, but 5,000 more than April 2024. Total United States May milk production reached 19.7 billion pounds, down 0.9 percent from May 2023.