Ongoing drought and high feed costs have contributed to the rising number of cattle placed into feedlots earlier than normal.
University of Missouri livestock economist Scott Brown says at some point cattle placements have to slow. He says that’s the number he’s watching in this week’s Cattle on Feed report. “We keep pushing more calves in the feedyard sooner than we normally would because of dry weather,” he says. “But at some point, we’re going to start talking about much fewer replacements and I’m curious whether were really see that this month or not.”
He tells Brownfield the higher placements have been bullish for cattle markets long-term.
