Nebraska feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 2.36 million cattle on feed on January 1, according to the Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office. This inventory was down slightly from last year.

Placements during December totaled 320,000 head, down 7 percent from 2008.

Fed cattle marketings for the month of December totaled 350,000 head, up 3 percent from last year. Other disappearance during December 2009 totaled 20,000 head, compared with 15,000 head in 2008.

U.S. CATTLE ON FEED DOWN 2 PERCENT

Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.0 million head on January 1, 2010. The inventory was 2 percent below January 1, 2009.

Placements in feedlots during December totaled 1.55 million, 6 percent below 2008.

Marketings of fed cattle during December totaled 1.74 million, 4 percent above 2008.

Other disappearance totaled 72,000 during December, 5 percent below 2008.