Cattle Current Podcast—Aug. 10, 2026

Cattle futures closed mainly higher Friday, helped along by the week’s stronger negotiated cash fed cattle prices and wholesale beef values.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of 64¢ higher (17¢ to $1.40 higher), except for an average of 15¢ lower in two contracts.

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $2.89 higher.

Week to week on Friday, Live Cattle futures closed an average of $1.45 lower, except for an average of 26¢ higher in the back two contracts. During the same period, Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $3.03 lower, except for an average of $2.54 higher in the front two contracts.

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade ranged from light on moderate demand in Nebraska to mostly inactive on light demand elsewhere through Friday afternoon, according to the agricultural Marketing Service.

For the week, FOB live prices were $2 higher in Kansas at $235/cwt., $2-$3 higher in Nebraska at $235 and steady to $4 higher in the western Corn Belt at $235-$236. Dressed delivered prices were $5-$10 higher in Nebraska at $370 and $10 higher in the western Corn Belt at $370-$380.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 50¢ higher Friday afternoon at $364.36/cwt. Select was $2.59 higher at $352.37. Week to week on Friday, Choice was $2.98 higher and Select was $6.14 higher.

Estimated total cattle slaughter last week of 509,000 head was 3,000 head fewer than the previous week and 28,000 head fewer than the same week last year. Year-to-date estimated total cattle slaughter of 16.4 million head was 1.5 million head fewer (-8.1%) than the same time a year earlier. Estimated year-to-date beef production of 14.6 billion pounds was 865.4 million pounds less (-5.6%) than the same time last year.

Grain and Soybean futures were mixed again on Friday with likely positioning ahead of this week’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

Corn futures were unchanged to fractionally higher through Jly ’27 and then fractionally lower to 1¢ lower. Soybean futures closed mostly fractionally lower to 1¢ lower. Kansas City HRW Wheat closed 10¢ to 14¢ higher through Jly ’27 and then 7¢ to 9¢ higher.