Live cattle futures are under pressure, with April contracts down $4.40 to $234.125, June down $4.675 to $230.600, and August down $4.700 to $228.700 as of midday on Friday. In the Fed Cattle Exchange auction, 272 out of 1,224 head sold for prices between $240-242, while outlying trade in the North registered at $240. Feeder cattle futures also fell, with March being down $7.350 to $355.250, and April down $7.900 to $351.100.
The USDA’s weekly update reported 111,000 federally inspected cattle slaughtered on Thursday, bringing this week’s total to 433,000 head—6,000 more than the previous week but 34,756 less than the same week last year. Additionally, another eight new cases of new world screwworm were confirmed in Tamaulipas, bringing the total to 19 active cases in the region.
