
Live cattle futures are falling $4.50 to $4.80 at Friday’s midday. There were no deliveries issued for August live cattle on Wednesday. The Friday morning Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed BidTheGrid™ sales of 240.50-245 on 220 of the 600 head offered. Feeder cattle futures are collapsing, with contracts down $7.62 to $7.85 so far at midday. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was up 76 cents to $336.97 on August 6.
USDA Wholesale Boxed Beef prices were mixed in the Friday morning report, with the Chc/Sel spread at $23.07. Choice boxes were down $1.16 at $377.78, while Select was 96 cents higher to $354.71. USDA estimated cattle slaughter for Thursday at 115,000 head, with the weekly total at 447,000 head. That was up 6,000 head from last week but 34,910 head lower vs. the same week in 2024.