Live cattle futures closed the Thursday session with contracts down $1.52 to $4.35 across the board. There were no deliveries issued against August futures on Wednesday. Cash trade has been picked up with some $228-230 sales in the North. The Thursday Fed Cattle Exchange auction showed no sales on the 1,308 head offered, with a bids of $228. Feeder cattle futures saw $1.40 to $3.52 losses across most contracts. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was back up $3.44 on August 12 to $351.93.
Late on Thursday, Tyson announced it will shut its Joslin, IL plant (3,000 hd/day) and sell it’s Pasco, WA plant (2,000 hd/day). They also announced the Amarillo, TX plant will ramp up production after cutting back kill last fall.
