During February, placements of 45.0 thousand head were 50 percent above the El Nino reduced placements of a year ago. Marketings of 40.0 thousand head were 11 percent below February 1998. Other disappearance totaled 5.00 thousand head. Net placements were 1.72 million. Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 480 thousand head, an increase of 2 percent from 1997.
Equine includes horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys.
Texas ranked first in equine inventory with 600 thousand head, followed by California and Tennessee with 240 thousand and 190 thousand head, respectively. Equine located on farms totaled 3.20 million head, while equine located on non-farms were 2.05 million head or 39.1 percent of the total. Equine sold totaled 558 thousand head in 1998, an increase of 3.3 percent from the 540 thousand head sold in 1997. Beef production, at 2.00 billion pounds, was 1 percent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.72 million head, down 1 percent from 1998.