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On Thursday, live cattle futures experienced losses ranging from $1.57 to $2.52, with cash sales reported at $215-220 in the North and $224 in the South. The Fed Cattle Exchange auction had dressed sales at $340 for 40 of the 1,748 head offered, with live bids at $220-223.50. Feeder cattle futures fell between $3.05 and $5.07; November futures decreased by $1.20, while the CME Feeder Cattle Index rose by $1.14 to $341.16.
Beef export sales reached 18,846 MT for the week ending October 2, marking the 4th largest total of the year, with shipments tallying 12,995 MT. Additionally, USDA reported wholesale boxed beef prices with Choice boxes at $371.28 (up 5 cents) and Select boxes at $354.18 (up 63 cents). The estimated cattle slaughter for Thursday was 120,000 head, bringing the weekly total to 477,000 head, which is 6,000 more than last week but 22,435 below last year’s figures.
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