# USDA Reports Provide Insight into Cattle Markets | Newsline | American Farm Bureau Federation

> USDA's July Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed reports showed total cattle and calves at 94.2 million head, up 200,000 from a year earlier and the first July increase since 2018. Beef cow inventory fell 0.7%, a sign of heifer retention. The Choice boxed beef cutout has dropped nearly $40 per cwt since June, about 10%.

- Date: 2026-07-28 · published 2026-07-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/18487-usda-reports-provide-insight-into-cattle-markets-newsline-american-farm-bureau
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Early herd rebuilding signals reduced near-term slaughter supply, which supports cattle prices longer term. The weaker beef cutout raises questions about softening consumer demand, which could limit feedlot profitability and feed demand.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: neutral
- LCATTLE: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2017-11-20 | [Cattle on Feed Continues Strong Placements \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68133-cattle-on-feed-continues-strong-placements-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american.md) | -1.1% | -0.8% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-07-22 | [USDA Releases Report on Boxed Beef and Fed Cattle Price Investigation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/52238-usda-releases-report-on-boxed-beef-and-fed-cattle-price-investigation.md) | -0.0% | +6.9% |
| LCATTLE | 2020-09-28 | [USDA investigation shows cattle markets work](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51240-usda-investigation-shows-cattle-markets-work.md) | +1.0% | -0.1% |
| LCATTLE | 2017-01-01 | [USDA beefs up fed cattle price reporting](https://feedsoft.ai/events/73130-usda-beefs-up-fed-cattle-price-reporting.md) | -0.8% | +2.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-05-26 | [Cattle on Feed Report Mostly Market Friendly \| Red River Farm Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5755-cattle-on-feed-report-mostly-market-friendly-red-river-farm-network.md) | -2.4% | -4.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-06-29 | [USDA AMS MyMarketNews: National Feeder & Stocker Cattle Report for June 29, 2026 - News and Statistics - IndexBox](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18943-usda-ams-mymarketnews-national-feeder-and-stocker-cattle-report-for-june-29.md) | -2.5% | -8.5% |
| FCATTLE | 2019-05-26 | [Cattle on Feed Report Mostly Market Friendly \| Red River Farm Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5755-cattle-on-feed-report-mostly-market-friendly-red-river-farm-network.md) | -6.8% | -8.0% |
| FCATTLE | 2018-05-25 | [‘Cattle on Feed’ report in line with expectations](https://feedsoft.ai/events/11034-cattle-on-feed-report-in-line-with-expectations.md) | +7.3% | +9.4% |

## Sources

- fb.org: https://www.fb.org/newsline/usda-reports-provide-insight-into-cattle-markets

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.