Washington DC (Northwestiowanow.copm) — The USDA reported 11.7 million head of cattle being fed November 1st, down 2 percent from November 1st of 2024. Here in Iowa, there were 700 thousand, up 4 percent year over year and up two percent from the inventory October 1st.

96 thousand cattle were placed on feedlots in the state to fatten up during the month of October, one thousand more than October 2024 and 20 thousand more than September.

Only feedlots of one thousand head or more are included in the monthly reports. Inventory from the feedlots with fewer than a thousand head are only released once a quarter.