Live cattle are trading with midday gains of 47 cents to $1.02 in the front months, but lower in the deferreds. Cash trade settled in at $240-244 in the north and $242-245 in the south. Feeder cattle futures are down 30 to 60 cents in the nearbys, with May up 17 cents. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was back down 69 cents to $374.47 on February 5. The Monday OKC feeder cattle auction has an estimated 9,500 head for sale, with a higher undertone reported early.
On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order to raise the TRQ on beef imports from Argentina by 80,000 MT, a move signaled last fall. For reference, average monthly imports of beef from all origins in 2025 was 151,666 MT.
