Live cattle futures traded mixed at the end of the week, with nearby contracts rising a single tick to slipping as much as 5 cents. Cash cattle prices in the North were reported between $350 and $355 dressed, while a few live bids in the South held at $224. The Thursday Federal Cattle Exchange online auction saw no sales from the 1,514 head offered, with bids ranging from $220 to $220.50. Feeder cattle futures declined between 50 cents and $1.55, with the CME Feeder Cattle Index rising 43 cents on September 16 to $343.17.
The USDA is scheduled to release its monthly Cattle on Feed report at 2:00 PM CDT, with August placements anticipated to be down 3.3% and marketings expected to decline 4%. The estimated September 1 cattle on feed inventory is projected to be up 1.7% compared to the previous year.
Wholesale boxed beef prices were mixed in the Friday morning report, with the Choice/Select spread at $17.63. Choice boxes fell 82 cents to $371.33, while Select cuts rose $1.82 to $353.70. USDA estimated federal inspected cattle slaughter for Thursday at 107,000 head, bringing the weekly total to 420,000—well above the prior week due to holiday processing, though 43,870 head fewer than the same week last year.
October 2026 Live Cattle futures were at $215.675, up $0.025, while December 2026 stood at $216.275, also up $0.025. February 2027 Live Cattle futures declined $0.050 to $217.225. September 2026 Feeder Cattle futures were at $333.275, down $1.550, October 2026 at $323.450, down $0.925, and November 2026 at $318.150, down $0.500.
