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Attention turns to placements as tight cattle supplies show no signs of easing

The cattle industry continues to battle tight supplies, and a livestock economist says that’s not expected to change anytime soon. University of Tennessee’s Charley Martinez says placements remain the figure to watch in this week’s Cattle on Feed report from the USDA. “Because it was such a hot topic on the last one,” he says.  “So it’s like, let’s see what this one has.” 

Placements into feedyards in the May report were up 6 percent from the previous year, however, pre-report expectations for this week’s report have placements down 6 percent.  

Jackie Moore, owner of Joplin Regional Stockyards in Missouri says the story remains historically tight cattle supplies.  “We’re going to be short here too,” he says.  “And as we go along through the summer. I just think we’ll get shorter and shorter.”  But he tells Brownfield, he’s not sure how much the cattle on feed report matters.   I don’t think anybody pays any attention to it, really,” he says.  “We’re so short and these kills are so light week after week, and demand is so strong. I don’t know whether the cattle on feed report is going to have any kind of effect on it. It might affect the board, but it’s not going to affect these feeder cattle much.” 

The report comes out Thursday at 3pm Eastern/2pm Central.