
Live cattle futures closed with gains of $1.45 to $2.27. Cash trade last week was reported at $229-230. This week has been quiet so far, with the Tuesday morning Fed Cattle Exchange showed dressed sales of $355 on 40 of the 1,278 head offered, with bids of $225. Feeder cattle futures posted Tuesday gains of $2.55 to $3 at the close. CME’s Feeder Cattle Index was back down $7.96 to $356.00 on December 26.
A Tuesday afternoon update from APHIS showed several new cases of New World Screwworm, most listed in Veracruz (southern Mexico). There was an active bovine case in southern Tamaulipas, a state that borders the US, discovered on December 26.