Live cattle futures experienced losses of $3 to $4 on Thursday, with cash trade reported at $385 in the North and $237 in the South. The Thursday morning Fed Cattle Exchange auction saw no sales out of 1,188 head offered, with southern bids at $232. Feeder cattle futures were down $6.45 to $7.27 at midday, and the CME Feeder Cattle Index increased by $1.40 to $344.09 as of August 12.
USDA Export Sales data revealed a calendar year low of 4,282 MT of beef sold in the week ending August 7, with shipments at their lowest in four weeks, totaling 11,358 MT. USDA’s Wednesday cattle slaughter estimate was 116,000 head, bringing the weekly total to 333,000, which is 22,968 head lower compared to the same week in 2024.
Current Prices:
- Aug 25 Live Cattle: $232.500 (down $3.050)
- Oct 25 Live Cattle: $225.925 (down $3.500)
- Dec 25 Live Cattle: $227.400 (down $4.000)
- Aug 25 Feeder Cattle: $339.425 (down $6.450)
- Sep 25 Feeder Cattle: $339.350 (down $7.275)
- Oct 25 Feeder Cattle: $338.650 (down $6.975)
