Live cattle futures rose on Thursday, with contracts closing up 57 to 95 cents. The April contract finished at $235.10, while feeder cattle futures saw increases of $1.05 to $1.95, with the March contract closing at $363.53. In contrast, the cash trade was light, marked by sales of $234-235.
On the same day, the USDA reported 10,691 MT of beef were sold in the week ending March 19, significantly higher than the previous week, with Japan acquiring 2,900 MT. Total cattle slaughter was estimated at 97,000 head for Thursday, bringing the weekly total to 412,000, which is 73,357 head lower than the same week last year.
Additionally, the New World Screwworm cases in Tamaulipas, Mexico, increased to a total of 40 active cases, with one new case reported in Nuevo Leon.
