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On Thursday, live cattle futures showed mixed results, with October contracts down 20 to 25 cents while other contracts rose. There were six deliveries against October to Burwell, NE, and no sales occurred in the Central Stockyards online Fed Cattle Exchange auction, which listed 2,720 head with bids ranging from $183 to $185. Feeder cattle futures increased by 5 to 47 cents for nearby contracts, while January saw a decrease of 7 cents. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was recorded at $249.45 on October 15, down 44 cents.
USDA’s Thursday morning report indicated higher wholesale Boxed Beef prices; Choice boxes rose 69 cents to $319.82/cwt, while Select boxes increased by $1.78 to $294.15. The Choice/Select spread narrowed to $25.67. Additionally, Wednesday’s federally inspected cattle slaughter was estimated at 125,000 head, bringing the weekly total to 370,000 head—11,000 head above the previous week but down 6,348 from the same week last year.
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