Total cattle imports in August were 132,042 head, up 12.0% from last month and a 22.5% increase from last year. August imports from Canada jumped 42.1% (18,367 head) from a month earlier to 61,947 head and were 12.6% above last year. A bulk of the jump in cattle imports from last month were cattle for immediate slaughter, which was up 55.6% to 45,332 head. Cattle for feeding also increased from the prior month by 13.7% to 15,500 head. Imports from Mexico were up 33.0% from last year to 70,095 head.

Seasonally, cattle imports from Mexico move higher to finish the year. Available weekly data for the month of September is signaling higher cattle import levels from Mexico and Canada compared to a year ago.

Source: Daily Livestock Report - Steiner Consulting Group