February 2008

Nebraska feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or morehead, contained 2.53 million cattle on feed on January 1, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office. This inventory was down slightly fromlast year but 4% above January 1, 2006.

Placements during December totaled 355,000 head, down 9% from last year but 1% above December 2005.

Fed cattle marketings for the month of December totaled 335,000 head, down 4%from last year but 10% above December two years ago. Other disappearance duringDecember 2007 totaled 10,000 head, compared with 10,000 head in 2006 and 15,000 head twoyears ago.

Nationally, cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots withcapacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 12.1 million head on January 1, 2008. The inventory was1% above January 1, 2007 and 2% above January 1, 2006. This is the highestJanuary 1 inventory since the series began in 1996.Placements in feedlots during December totaled 1.70 million, 1% below 2006 and10% below 2005.Marketings of fed cattle during December totaled 1.65 million, 1% above 2006 but4% below 2005. This is the second lowest fed cattle marketings for the month ofDecember since the series began in 1996. Other disappearance totaled 58,000 during December,34% below 2006 and 36% below 2005.