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On Friday, live cattle futures showed mixed action with contracts increasing by 42 cents to weakness in back months. The Fed Cattle Exchange reported no sales from 2,552 head listed and bids ranged between $230-$232, with some light cash trade noted at $230 in the North, down $2-$5 from last week. Dressed trade was recorded at $360.
The USDA revealed that wholesale boxed beef prices mixed, with Choice boxes down 27 cents to $362.95 and Select boxes up $2.19 to $345.59, leading to a narrowed Chc/Sel spread of $17.36. Additionally, the USDA estimated Thursday’s federally inspected cattle slaughter at 113,000 head, with a weekly total of 461,000, falling 5,000 head below last week and 30,285 head below the same week in 2022.
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