Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.2 million head on Jan. 1, 2013.
Dwindling cattle supplies cited as cause for halting production at the Plainview, Texas, facility.
Cattle producers anticipate 10-year cycle high, but the odds hinge on Mother Nature’s cooperation.
Along with feedlot inventory, placement into feedlots during November were 6 percent below 2011.
Placements in feedlots during October totaled 2.18 million, 13 percent below 2011.
Placements in feedlots during September totaled 2.00 million, 19 percent below 2011.
Feedyard inventories, placements, and marketings continue to decline.
This is the lowest cattle inventory since the series began in 1973; meanwhile cattle inventory in feedyards is up 3%.
