Cattle Futures Show Mixed Performance; Feeder Cattle See Late Gains

Live cattle futures posted a mixed session on Wednesday, with June contracts rising 42 cents while the remaining months declined by 15 to 75 cents. The Wednesday Fed Cattle online auction failed to generate sales among the 1,466 head offered, though one lot received a bid at $400 dressed. Feeder cattle futures, however, gained momentum late in the trading day, closing with gains of 37 cents to $1.97. The CME Feeder Cattle Index increased 2 cents on June 16 to $364.02.

USDA’s upcoming Thursday release of Cattle on Feed data is anticipated to show May placements down 5.5% year-over-year, with marketings projected to decline 10.6% compared to 2025. June 1 on-feed inventories are expected to rise 2.5% from the prior year. The market will conclude the week on Thursday, with Friday observance of Juneteenth.

Wholesale Boxed Beef prices were mixed in Wednesday’s PM report, with the Chc/Sel spread at $17.24. Choice boxes fell $5.08 to $394.50, while Select gained 41 cents to $377.26. USDA estimated Wednesday’s federally inspected cattle slaughter at 109,000 head, raising the weekly total to 317,000 head—a 1,000-head increase from the previous week but 15,258 head below the year-earlier period.

Live Cattle contracts closed as follows: June at $255.725 (+$0.425), August at $248.850 (-$0.350), and October at $241.850 (-$0.150). Feeder Cattle saw gains across multiple months: August at $367.425 (+$0.550), September at $365.650 (+$0.375), and October at $362.850 (+$0.425).

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