On Monday, live cattle futures closed between $2.12 and $2.925 lower, with cash trade reported at $228-$230 in the South, up $4-5, and $240-241 in the North, up $8-10 week-over-week. Feeder cattle futures also fell, with declines between $5.50 and $5.85, and the CME Feeder Cattle Index dropped by $3.48 to $319.89. The Oklahoma City feeder cattle auction estimated 7,000 head for sale, with prices ranging $10-25 higher.
The USDA reported wholesale boxed beef prices continuing a downward trend, with Choice boxes down $1.57 to $377.07 and Select boxes falling $1.91 to $364.58 per hundredweight. Estimated cattle slaughter for Monday was 112,000 head, decreasing by 2,000 head from last week and down 5,427 from the same week last year.
