BarnX Daily — September 21, 2026

BarnX Daily

Feed, livestock and market intelligence for operational decisions.

Edition date

September 21, 2026

Coverage window

September 19, 2026, 03:57 PDT to September 21, 2026, 03:57 PDT, plus material official releases issued after the September 18 edition cutoff

Last verified

September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT

Today in one minute

01
U.S. August feedlot placements fell 9% year over year to 1.617 million head, the lowest August total in the series, while the September 1 on-feed inventory remained 1% above last year.
02
Santa Teresa is expected to reopen to Mexican cattle on September 24 under added inspection, treatment and traceability controls, but the timetable remains conditional on biosecurity performance.
03
A newly reported New World screwworm infestation in a Grant County, New Mexico, horse adds execution risk to the border reopening; no change to the September 24 plan was verified by the cutoff.
04
Montana confirmed HPAI in a small commercial chicken flock in Ravalli County, reinforcing fall-migration biosecurity needs without establishing a broad North American feed-demand shock.
05
No equally material Canadian-only official development was verified in the core 48-hour window; Canadian operators should treat the U.S.–Mexico cattle changes as cross-border signals, not as changes to Canadian rules.

Editor’s view

The weekend’s signal is a tension between current cattle numbers and future cattle flow. U.S. feedlots still held more cattle than a year ago on September 1, but record-low August placements point to tighter finishing cohorts later if imports and domestic feeder supplies do not compensate. Santa Teresa could restore an important Mexican feeder route, yet the new screwworm detection shows why the reopening is conditional. Feed buyers and dispatchers should separate confirmed inventory from contingent supply: the cattle already on feed support near-term ration demand, while autumn demand depends on placements, border throughput and disease-control execution.

Lead development

Cattle supply and feed demandHigh

U.S. August feedlot placements fall to the lowest level in the series

Geography: United States, with implications for Canadian and Mexican feeder-cattle, feed-grain and protein markets

What changed: USDA reported 11.163 million cattle and calves on feed in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 head or more on September 1, 2026, up 1% from a year earlier. August placements were 1.617 million head, down 9% and the lowest August total since the series began in 1996; marketings were 1.519 million head, down 3% and also the lowest August total in the series.
Why it matters: The inventory supports near-term feed consumption, but the sharp placement decline reduces the pipeline of cattle that would normally drive ration demand later in the feeding cycle.

Who may be affected: Feedlot operators, cattle feeders, corn and protein-meal buyers, premix suppliers, backgrounders, packers and cross-border livestock traders.
What to watch next: September placements, the weight distribution of incoming cattle, Mexican import throughput and whether lower marketings keep inventories elevated.
Evidence note: Confirmed by a primary USDA statistical release; survey estimates are subject to revision and exclude smaller U.S. feedlots.
Sources: [1] Cattle on Feed — September 18, 2026

Other developments

01Livestock trade and logisticsHigh

Santa Teresa is expected to reopen September 24 under added screwworm controls

Geography: New Mexico and Chihuahua, with implications for U.S., Mexican and Canadian cattle and feed markets

What changed: The Kansas Livestock Association reported that USDA expects the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port to reopen to Mexican cattle on September 24 after more than a year of closure. The association said Santa Teresa handled 43% of Mexican cattle imports over the past five years; cattle are to be inspected in Chihuahua and again by USDA, with treatment, traceability and added inspection protocols.
Why it matters: Reopening a high-volume route could improve feeder availability for Southwest feedlots and redistribute cattle, feed and trucking demand.

Who may be affected: Southwest feedlots, Mexican exporters, border inspection operators, livestock haulers, feed suppliers, packers and North American cattle traders.
What to watch next: Confirmation that the port opens on September 24, daily inspection capacity, rejection rates, animal-health findings and whether Columbus, New Mexico, is advanced next.
Evidence note: Corroborated by an industry-association report attributed to USDA and independent Reuters reporting; the opening remains conditional rather than completed.
Sources: [2] USDA Announces Second Port Opening To Cattle From Mexico
[3] Screwworm infests US horse before port reopens to Mexican livestock

02Animal disease and biosecurityHigh

Screwworm infestation reported in a Grant County horse before Santa Teresa reopening

Geography: Grant County and Santa Teresa, New Mexico; U.S.–Mexico livestock corridor

What changed: Reuters reported that USDA confirmed New World screwworm in a horse in Grant County, New Mexico, before the announced Santa Teresa reopening. The report said officials were investigating how the horse became infested and that, as of publication, it was unclear whether the finding would delay the port plan.
Why it matters: Screwworm is a wound-infesting parasite, so a detection near a major livestock corridor can trigger extra surveillance, treatment and inspection work even without a formal movement change.

Who may be affected: Ranches, feedlots, veterinarians, livestock haulers, border inspectors and dispatch teams moving animals through the Southwest.
What to watch next: A primary USDA or New Mexico disposition for the Grant County case and any formal amendment to the September 24 reopening conditions.
Evidence note: Based on single-source credible secondary reporting that attributes confirmation to USDA; the route of exposure and trade consequence were still under investigation.
Sources: [3] Screwworm infests US horse before port reopens to Mexican livestock

03Poultry health and biosecurityMedium

Ravalli County detection marks Montana’s second affected flock of 2026

Geography: Ravalli County, Montana; regional relevance during fall wild-bird migration

What changed: A September 18 report carrying information from the Montana Department of Livestock said HPAI was confirmed on September 17 in a small commercial chicken flock in Ravalli County. It described the detection as Montana’s second affected flock in 2026 and the first since January.
Why it matters: A commercial-flock detection can tighten premises access, cleaning and movement controls locally, while fall migration raises exposure risk across poultry regions.

Who may be affected: Poultry producers, feed mills, veterinarians, service crews, rendering and disposal providers, and drivers entering poultry premises.
What to watch next: USDA dashboard updates, flock-size and control-zone details, additional detections along migration routes and any state movement orders.
Evidence note: The Montana event is reported by a credible regional source using state-department information; USDA’s national HPAI page confirms the official surveillance framework, but the embedded dashboard details were not independently extractable at verification.
Sources: [4] Avian Influenza Confirmed in Ravalli County, Mont.
[5] Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks

Market and ingredient watch

Market or ingredient	Direction or development	Operational relevance	Source and timestamp
U.S. feedlot cattle	September 1 inventory 11.163 million head, up 1% year over year; August placements 1.617 million, down 9%; marketings 1.519 million, down 3%	Supports near-term ration demand but points to a smaller later feeding cohort if imports and domestic feeders do not offset placements	USDA NASS, released September 18 at 3:00 p.m. ET; public official data, accessed September 21 at 04:05 PDT [1]
Mexican feeder-cattle access	Santa Teresa expected to reopen September 24, subject to working biosecurity controls	Could increase feeder flow into Southwest yards and shift regional feed demand and trucking; do not assume historical volume on day one	Kansas Livestock Association report dated September 18, attributed to USDA; accessed September 21 at 04:05 PDT [2]
Canadian grain movement	Canadian Grain Commission posted Week 6 data for the week ending September 13, covering deliveries, domestic processing, exports, commercial stocks and feed-grain handlings	Use the workbook for location-specific movement and stock checks; no numeric claim is made here because a material public change was not independently verified from the downloadable tables	Canadian Grain Commission, Week 6 page available September 18; accessed September 21 at 04:05 PDT [6]

Market or ingredient
U.S. feedlot cattle
Direction or development
September 1 inventory 11.163 million head, up 1% year over year; August placements 1.617 million, down 9%; marketings 1.519 million, down 3%
Operational relevance
Supports near-term ration demand but points to a smaller later feeding cohort if imports and domestic feeders do not offset placements
Source and timestamp
USDA NASS, released September 18 at 3:00 p.m. ET; public official data, accessed September 21 at 04:05 PDT [1]
Market or ingredient
Mexican feeder-cattle access
Direction or development
Santa Teresa expected to reopen September 24, subject to working biosecurity controls
Operational relevance
Could increase feeder flow into Southwest yards and shift regional feed demand and trucking; do not assume historical volume on day one
Source and timestamp
Kansas Livestock Association report dated September 18, attributed to USDA; accessed September 21 at 04:05 PDT [2]
Market or ingredient
Canadian grain movement
Direction or development
Canadian Grain Commission posted Week 6 data for the week ending September 13, covering deliveries, domestic processing, exports, commercial stocks and feed-grain handlings
Operational relevance
Use the workbook for location-specific movement and stock checks; no numeric claim is made here because a material public change was not independently verified from the downloadable tables
Source and timestamp
Canadian Grain Commission, Week 6 page available September 18; accessed September 21 at 04:05 PDT [6]

Livestock and biosecurity watch

The feedlot report is a confirmed inventory and flow update, not a forecast: current U.S. on-feed numbers are above last year while August placements and marketings were historically low [1]. The Grant County screwworm case is a reported confirmed infestation under investigation, and Santa Teresa’s reopening remains contingent [2][3]. The Ravalli County HPAI item is a localized commercial-flock detection, not evidence of a continent-wide poultry outbreak [4][5]. No new Canadian federal movement restriction or disease-control change with comparable operational significance was verified in the core window.

Mill, safety, and logistics watch

Feedlot demand planning
Keep current loads tied to actual on-feed inventory; scenario-test later demand against September placements and border throughput rather than extrapolating August consumption [1][2].
Border dispatch
Confirm appointments, inspection documentation, treatment records and contingency holding capacity before routing cattle through Santa Teresa; the opening is not final until operations begin [2][3].
Poultry-route biosecurity
Separate poultry routes where practical, document truck and footwear sanitation, and verify farm-entry rules before delivery in migration-risk areas [4][5].
Feed safety
No material new official feed recall or mill-safety order in Canada or the United States was verified during the researched window.

Next to watch

September 21, 3:00 p.m. ET
USDA Chickens and Eggs
Layer inventories and egg output can change near-term poultry-feed demand assumptions. [7]
September 21, 4:00 p.m. ET
USDA Crop Progress
Harvest pace and pasture condition will update new-crop access, grain-moisture and forage signals. [7]
September 22, 3:00 p.m. ET
USDA Milk Production
Cow numbers and milk output will refine dairy-feed demand in major producing states. [7]
September 24
Expected Santa Teresa reopening
Actual opening status and early throughput will test whether Mexican feeder supply can begin offsetting low U.S. placements. [2][3]
September 24, 3:00 p.m. ET
USDA Hogs and Pigs and Livestock Slaughter
Herd inventory and August slaughter will update swine-feed demand and protein-throughput expectations. [7]

Source ledger

1
Cattle on Feed
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796064/cofd0926.txt
Published:
September 18, 2026
Accessed:
September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT
Type:
Official data
2
USDA Announces Second Port Opening To Cattle From Mexico
Kansas Livestock Association
https://www.kla.org/news-center/news-releases/news/details/50953/usda-announces-second-port-opening-to-cattle-from-mexico
Published:
September 18, 2026
Accessed:
September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT
Type:
Industry association
3
Screwworm infests US horse before port reopens to Mexican livestock
Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/screwworm-infests-us-horse-before-port-reopens-mexican-livestock-2026-09-17/
Published:
September 17, 2026
Accessed:
September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT
Type:
Credible secondary reporting
4
Avian Influenza Confirmed in Ravalli County, Mont.
Northern Ag Network; information attributed to the Montana Department of Livestock
https://www.northernag.net/avian-influenza-confirmed-in-ravalli-county-mont/
Published:
September 18, 2026
Accessed:
September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT
Type:
Credible secondary reporting
5
Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks
Published:
Current dashboard; accessed September 21, 2026
Accessed:
September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT
Type:
Primary
6
Grain Statistics Weekly
Canadian Grain Commission
https://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/en/grain-research/statistics/grain-statistics-weekly/
Published:
Week 6 data for week ending September 13, 2026; page available September 18, 2026
Accessed:
September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT
Type:
Official data
7
Reports by Date — September 2026
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Calendar/reports_by_date.php?month=09&view=l&year=2026
Published:
September 2026 release calendar; accessed September 21, 2026
Accessed:
September 21, 2026, 04:05 PDT
Type:
Primary