# Cattle in U.S. feedyards drop to 8-year low

> USDA's January Cattle on Feed report showed feedlot inventories at 11.45 million head, down 3.2% year over year and the lowest since 2018. December placements fell 5.4% and marketings rose 1.8%. This was the 14th straight monthly decline in feedlot inventories.

- Date: 2026-02-02 · published 2026-02-02T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: report · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/20742-cattle-in-u-s-feedyards-drop-to-8-year-low
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Shrinking feedlot inventories and falling placements point to tighter fed and feeder supplies. This supports higher cattle prices and squeezes feedlot margins.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bullish ▲
- LCATTLE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2026-03-04 | [America's cattle herd drops to a 75-year low](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20118-america-s-cattle-herd-drops-to-a-75-year-low.md) | -0.9% | +0.4% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-02-17 | [75-year-low: National cattle inventory drops to historic level](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20540-75-year-low-national-cattle-inventory-drops-to-historic-level.md) | +0.7% | -4.2% |
| LCATTLE | 2026-01-30 | [U.S. Cattle Inventory at 75 Year Low \| Paradigm Futures](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21190-u-s-cattle-inventory-at-75-year-low-paradigm-futures.md) | +1.0% | +4.8% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-01-31 | [U.S. Beef Cattle Inventory Falls to the Lowest Level in 64 Years - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26447-u-s-beef-cattle-inventory-falls-to-the-lowest-level-in-64-years-agweb.md) | -0.9% | -3.5% |
| LCATTLE | 2018-05-25 | [U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle extend gains on drop in placements - Grainews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/11033-u-s-livestock-feeder-cattle-extend-gains-on-drop-in-placements-grainews.md) | -1.8% | +0.5% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-03-04 | [America's cattle herd drops to a 75-year low](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20118-america-s-cattle-herd-drops-to-a-75-year-low.md) | -1.1% | +3.3% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-02-17 | [75-year-low: National cattle inventory drops to historic level](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20540-75-year-low-national-cattle-inventory-drops-to-historic-level.md) | -0.5% | -2.9% |
| FCATTLE | 2026-01-30 | [U.S. Cattle Inventory at 75 Year Low \| Paradigm Futures](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21190-u-s-cattle-inventory-at-75-year-low-paradigm-futures.md) | -1.4% | -3.7% |

## Sources

- farmprogress.com: https://www.farmprogress.com/livestock/cattle-in-u-s-feedyards-drop-to-8-year-low

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