Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 29. 2021

Cattle futures softened Thursday with a sense of retrenching as market fundamentals improve.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of $1.30 lower (80¢ lower to $2.72 lower in spot Oct).

Rising Corn futures prices continued to pressure Feeder Cattle futures, which closed an average of $1.50 lower (82¢ to $2.02 lower), except for 17¢ higher in expiring Oct.

Corn futures closed 5¢ higher through near Jul and then mostly 1¢ higher.

Soybean futures closed mixed, 2¢ to 5¢ lower through Sep ’22 and then mostly 2¢ to 3¢ higher.

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was mostly inactive on light demand in all major cattle feeding regions through Thursday afternoon, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

So far this week, live prices are $2 higher in the Southern Plains at $126/cwt., $2 higher in the western Corn Belt at $126-$127 and $2-$3 higher in Nebraska at $127. Dressed trade is $4 higher at $200.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was $1.26 higher Thursday afternoon at $284.89/cwt. Select was 95¢ higher at $262.64.

The average dressed steer weight of 922 lbs. (week ending Oct. 16) was 1 lb. heavier than the previous week but 7 lbs. lighter than the same week last year, according to USDA’s Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection report. The average dressed heifer weight of 840 lbs. was 1 lb. heavier week to week but 10 lbs. lighter year over year.