On Thursday, live cattle futures dropped by 57 cents to $1.22, with no sales reported in the morning Fed Cattle Exchange for the listed 2,552 head. Light cash trade was noted at $230 in the North, reflecting a decrease of $2-5 from last week. Dressed trade was recorded at $360, while feeder cattle futures experienced declines of $4.65 to $5.20 in the front months.
USDA Wholesale Boxed Beef prices also fell, with Choice boxes down $5.25 to $363.22 and Select boxes dropping $3.49 to $343.40. The Chc/Sel spread narrowed to $19.82. For the day, USDA estimated federally inspected cattle slaughter at 113,000 head, bringing the weekly total to 461,000 head, which is 5,000 below last week and 30,285 below the same week in 2024.
