By CAROL RYAN DUMAS

Capital Press

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.33 million head on Dec. 1, 2012, down 6 percent from a year earlier.

The on-feed number is the second-lowest Dec. 1 inventory since 2002, which saw 10.9 million head on feed.

Placements in feedlots during November totaled 1.92 million, 6 percent below 2011. Net placements were 1.84 million head. Placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 645,000; 600-699 pounds were 450,000; 700-799 pounds were 375,000; and 800 pounds and greater were 453,000.

Marketings of fed cattle during November totaled 1.76 million, 1 percent below 2011.

Other disappearance -- including death loss, movement from feedlots to pasture and shipments to other feedlots for further feeding -- totaled 88,000, 9 percent below 2011.

The on-feed and marketing numbers came in at about where analyst expected, but the placement numbers were higher than expected, according to a Dow-Jones pre-report survey.

Analysts expected the placement number to be down almost 9 percent over the year-ago level.

Nov. 1 cattle on feed on 1,000+ capacity feedlots

Area Dec. 1 2012 Dec. 1 2011 % of previous year

(1,000 head)

Calif. 490 505 97

Idaho 245 235 104

Wash. 261 236 111

U.S. 11,328 12,055 94

Cattle placements during November

Area Nov. 2012 Nov. 2011 % change from previous year

(1,000 head)

Calif. 65 66 98

Idaho 40 46 87

Wash. 57 54 106

U.S. 1,923 2,037 94

Source: USDA-NASS