Market News

Thursday midday cash livestock markets

Direct cash cattle markets remain quiet at midday on Thursday. Bids are $125 on the live basis and $192 for dressed, with asking prices holding around $128 to $129 in the South and $198+ in the North. Boxed beef cutout values at midday were weak to lower with Choice down $.17 at $193.76 and Select $.48 lower at $175.68.

Early cash hog trade is steady to lower with Dow Jones Newswires noting some packers buying hogs for next week, trying to get ahead of the upcoming holidays. The National Direct market opened $1.89 lower with the weighted average at $76.73 and the Eastern Cornbelt down $2.03 at $76.34. The Western Cornbelt and Iowa/Southern Minnesota were not released due to confidentiality. Butcher hogs at the terminal markets are steady to $1 lower with tops at $50 to $55. The Missouri Direct base carcass meat price is steady at $73 to $76 with sows unchanged at $42 to $52. Illinois Direct sows are steady to $2 higher at $48 to $62.