Cattle futures were lower Tuesday amid struggling cash fed cattle prices and higher feed costs.
Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of $1.14 lower. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $1.42 lower.
Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was mostly inactive on light demand in the North through Tuesday afternoon, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service. Last week, FOB live prices were $218-$222/cwt. and dressed delivered prices were mostly $345. There was no established trade in the Southern Plains.
Choice boxed beef cutout value was $3.93 higher Tuesday afternoon at $379.75/cwt. Select was $1.96 higher at $360.45.
Grain and Soybean futures were higher on Tuesday, supported by yield concerns, buyer demand and likely inflation hedging.
Toward the close and through the front four contracts, Corn futures were 6¢ to 8¢ higher. Soybean futures were 28¢ to 30¢ higher. Kansas City HRW Wheat futures were 5¢ to 16¢ higher.
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Major U.S. financial indices closed lower Tuesday, as oil prices continued to rise due to the U.S.-Iran war and bond yields moved higher on inflation worries.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 419 points lower. The S&P 500 closed 54 points lower. The NASDAQ was down 271 points.
Through mid-afternoon, West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil futures (CME) were $1.46 to $4.89 higher through the front six contracts.
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Agricultural producer sentiment increased in August for the second consecutive month, according to the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer. The overall index increased 9 points from 126 in July to 135, driven by optimism about the future.
The Index of Future Expectations increased 11 points month to month, while the Index of Current Conditions rose 1 point. The Farm Financial Performance Index rose from 90 at the beginning of the year to 103 in August, indicating increased optimism among respondents about their financial outlook for the next 12 months.
This month’s survey featured three questions regarding operator skills. The first asked respondents to identify the skill with the most return on investment for their farm, with production skills the most valued at 29%, followed by financial management and analysis at 23%, and strategic planning at 22%. The second question asked which skill their farm most needed to improve, with strategic planning at 28%, selling products at 20% and buying inputs at 19%. The third question asked which skills could be improved most through artificial intelligence, with strategic planning at 32%, financial management and analysis at 28%, and production at 18%.
“Producers are looking beyond the day-to-day management of their operations and thinking more strategically about the skills they need to succeed,” says Michael Langemeier, the barometer’s principal investigator and director of Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture. “The emphasis on strategic planning, both as an area for improvement and as a potential application for artificial intelligence, suggests producers see opportunities to use new tools to strengthen decision-making.”
Since July 2025, producers have been asked whether they believe the U.S. is moving in the ‘right direction’ or on the ‘wrong track.’ The average ‘right direction’ response was 71% in the final six months of 2025 and 62% in the first quarter of 2026. Since April, the percentage of producers who feel the U.S. is heading in the right direction has fluctuated between 51% and 57%. In August, 51% of respondents said the U.S. was moving in the right direction.
The Ag Economy Barometer survey was conducted from Aug. 10-14.