Live cattle futures are experiencing a decline, with contracts dropping between $3.55 and $4.65 on Thursday. Cash trade in Kansas has increased to $235, up $3 to $5 from the previous week. In the Fed Cattle Exchange auction, bids reached $228 in Texas, yet no sales were recorded out of 1,096 heads offered. Feeder cattle futures have also decreased, with falls of $3.70 to $4.75 across most contracts.
Beef export sales totaled 8,483 metric tons for the week ending July 24, down from the week prior, while shipments amounted to 12,262 metric tons. USDA reported wholesale boxed beef prices rising on Thursday morning, with Choice boxes at $363.44, an increase of $1.45, and Select at $341.95, up $1.04.
Estimated cattle slaughter for Wednesday reached 112,000 head, totaling 333,000 for the week, an increase of 2,000 head from last week but down 24,395 compared to the same week in 2024.
