Live cattle futures closed the Thursday session with contracts down $1.52 to $4.35 across the board. New selling interest was noted, with open interest up 3,259 contracts. 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.
