USDA Reports Record-Low September Feedlot Placements

USDA’s Oct. 27 cattle reports showed formula slaughter-cattle purchases at 23,840 head in the latest reporting period, below the comparable total a week earlier, while feeder-cattle prices varied across major auctions in Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Oklahoma State livestock economist Derrell Peel said USDA’s new five-state negotiated-cash reporting area should help restore more consistent price information after sparse trading left Southern Plains cash prices unavailable, though it does not resolve the broader decline in negotiated trade. Peel also discussed President Donald Trump’s plan to increase lean-beef imports, noting that market demand may constrain actual import volumes. Separately, September feedlot placements reached a record low for the month, down 12.1% from a year earlier; slower marketings have helped keep feedlot inventories near year-ago levels while cattle remain on feed longer and carcass weights rise.