United States-Cattle feed lot numbers down.

UNITED STATES-FEED LOT CATTLE NUMBERS DOWN.

The inventory of cattle on feed was 335 thousand head in Oklahoma on January 1, 2009, for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head, unchanged from the previous month but down 4 percent from January 1, 2008. Placements during December were 49,000, 11 percent above one year ago.

Marketings of fed cattle during December were 46,000, up 24 percent from the same month last year. Other disappearance during December totaled 3,000 head.

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in Texas feedlots with capacity of 1,000 head or more totaled 2.79 million head on January 1, down 6 percent from a year ago. According to the monthly report released by the Texas Field Office, the estimate was down 1 percent from the December 1 level.

Producers placed 405,000 head in commercial feedlots during December, up 7 percent from a year ago, but down 21 percent from the November 2008 total.

Texas commercial feeders marketed 405,000 head during December, down 4 percent from last year but up 3 percent from last month.

The number of cattle on feed on January 1, 2009 in Kansas feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity totaled 2.27 million head, down 8 percent from a year ago and 2 percent below the number on hand December 1, 2008.

Placements during December totaled 380,000 head, 1 percent lower than a year ago and 6 percent below November 2008 placements of 405,000 head. Marketings during December totaled 405,000 head, 4 percent above December 2007 and 31 percent above November 2008.

Other disappearance was 15,000 head, unchanged from a year ago and from the previous month. The percent of December placements by weight was: under 600 pounds, 18 percent; 600-699 pounds, 32 percent;700-799 pounds, 32 percent; and 800 pounds or heavier, 18 percent

South Dakota’s 1,000+ capacity feedlots reported 220,000 cattle on feed for the slaughter market on January 1, according to the South Dakota Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The January 1 number is down 10,000 head from a year ago but unchanged from December.

Placements during December totaled 38,000 head, down 12,000 from a year earlier and down 19,000 head from November.

Marketings of fed cattle during December totaled 37,000 head, up 4,000 head from last year and up 2,000 head from November.

Other disappearance during December totaled 1,000 head, down 1,000 head from last year and from last month.

Steer and steer calves totaled 107,000 head, up from 111,000 head a year ago. Heifer and heifer calves totaled 92,000 head, compared to 90,000 head last year. Bulls and cows totaled 21,000 head, compared to 29,000 head last year.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in Idaho from feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head on January 1, 2009 totaled 220,000 head, 6 percent below the January 1, 2008 inventory, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The cattle on feed inventory decreased 5,000 head from the number on feed December 1, 2008. Placements of cattle in State feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head during December totaled 36,000 head, down 3,000 head from December 2007 placements.

Nebraska feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 2.37 million cattle on feed on January 1, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.

This inventory was down 6 percent from last year and 7 percent below January 1, 2007. Placements during December totaled 345,000 head, down 3 percent from last year and 12 percent below December 2007.

Fed cattle marketings for the month of December totaled 340,000 head, up 1 percent from last year but 3 percent below December two years ago. Other disappearance during December 2008 totaled 15,000 head, compared with 10,000 head in 2007 and 2006.