The USDA says placements of cattle into feedlots during September 2021 were below expectations.
Placements of 2.163 million head were 3% lower than last year’s pandemic skewed number as producers held back cattle earlier in that year due to uncertainties about beef demand. Ahead of the report, most analysts were calling for a modest year to year increase.
Most of the cattle placed were between 700 and 900 pounds, headed to market starting early next year, but there were also a significant amount of cattle weighing less than 600 pounds.
