Market News

Friday midday cash livestock markets

Cash cattle market activity is slow to start on Friday following another day of light trade in parts of the North. Early guesses are about 5,000 cattle moved in Nebraska at 244.00 dressed and 156.00 live. Kansas moved around 2500 head at 155.00 live and 143.00 dressed. We are still waiting for Texas to jump into the ring. Asking prices there are around 156.00 to 158.00.

Boxed beef cutout values are mixed with the choice .70 lower at 256.04, and select is 1.64 higher at 250.21.

Feeder cattle receipts at Missouri auctions this week totaled 19,330 head. Compared to last week, feeder steers and heifers sold steady to 10.00 lower. Light weight feeders found the least pressure this week and generally as weights increased so did price declines. Supply was light at most auctions and overall quality was not anything exceptional. Feeder steers medium and large 1 averaging 617 pounds traded at 244.98 per hundredweight. 630 pound heifers brought 226.93.

Barrows and gilts in the Iowa/Minnesota direct trade and the West are not reported due to confidentiality, the Eastern market is 2.43 lower at 102.77 weighted average on a carcass basis. Missouri direct base carcass meat price is steady from 101.00 to 103.00. Midwest hogs ae very lightly tested at 3.00 to 5.00 lower from 73.00 to 80.00 live.

The pork carcass value was down 2.90 at 113.29 FOB plant.

Hog buyers are having absolutely no problem in gathering numbers with lower bids this week. Such carefree procurement testifies both to ample country offerings and extreme defensiveness on the part of producers.