Live cattle futures pulled off the early session lows at the open to close with 1 to $1.30 losses, as nearby and soon to expire August was up 27 cents. Cash trade was quiet on Monday, mostly compiling showlists. Last week saw northern dressed action at $385-392 and live trade at $245, with southern trade at 240. Feeder cattle futures were up 50 cents in August, with other contract pulling off the early and near limit losses at the open, down just 70 cents to $2. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was up $7.84 to $357.92 on August 22. Monday’s OKC weekly feeder auction had an estimated 6,250 head for sale, with sales noted $4-10 higher for feeders, steer calves up $10-20, and heifer calves up $8-12.
Over the weekend a Reuters report indicated the first human case of a New World Screwworm was detected in a person from Maryland who had previously traveled to Guatemala. It must be noted that there have been no animals in the US reported with the worm.
