Live cattle futures experienced gains on Wednesday, April 26, closing up between 17 to 77 cents. The April Live Cattle futures finished at $235.400, while June and August futures closed at $234.000 and $231.600, respectively. However, feeder cattle futures dropped by 32 cents, closing at $358.725 for March futures, down from the previous session.
In the cash market, Wednesday’s Fed Cattle Exchange online auction saw no sales from the 1,026 head offered, with bids between $233-234. The USDA reported a federally inspected cattle slaughter of 105,000 head for the day, bringing the week-to-date total to 308,000 head, down 9,000 from the previous week and 20,077 lower than the same week last year. Wholesale Boxed Beef prices also decreased, with Choice boxes down $1.56 to $401.75 and Select boxes down 55 cents to $396.17.
