**Live Cattle futures rose between 32 to 57 cents at midday on April 26, with cash trade centered around $246 per hundredweight. The Fed Cattle Exchange reported bids of $245-246 on 558 head offered, but no sales occurred. Feeder cattle futures increased by 15 to 80 cents on the same day, with the CME Feeder Cattle Index down $3.44, settling at $370.00 on April 22.**
**In related news, the Thursday update from APHIS on New World Screwworm cases in Mexico indicated a total of 1,469 active cases as of April 22, an increase of 74 from earlier reports. In Tamaulipas, 116 active cases were reported (+14), while Nuevo Leon recorded 8 cases (+3).**
**Wholesale Boxed Beef prices saw upticks, with Choice boxes rising by $3.66 to $387.16 and Select increasing by $2.38 to $384.96. The USDA estimated the federally inspected cattle slaughter at 106,000 head for Thursday, bringing the week-to-date total to 425,000 head, which is 4,000 fewer than the previous week and 26,941 below the same week last year.**
