Cattle Current Podcast—Jan. 5, 2020

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was at a standstill in the Southern Plains and Nebraska through Monday afternoon. Elsewhere, it was mostly inactive on very light demand.

Prices on a live basis last week were at $112/cwt. in the Southern Plains, at $111-$112 in Colorado and at $110-$112 in Nebraska and the western Corn Belt. Dressed prices were at $175-$176.

The five-area average direct fed steer price last week was $2.32 higher than the previous week on a live basis at $111.51/cwt. The average steer price in the beef was $3.87 higher at $175.67.

Cattle futures fell hard Monday, beneath the weight of sharply lower outside markets and the unrelenting rise in feed costs.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of $1.83 lower.

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $2.72 lower, from $1.15 lower toward the back to $4.20 lower toward the front.

Choice Boxed beef cutout value was 8¢ lower Monday afternoon at $209.87/cwt. Select was 88¢ higher at $196.53.

Corn futures closed mostly fractionally lower.

Soybean futures closed mostly 4¢ to 6¢ higher.