Cattle Current Podcast—May 5, 2025

Cattle futures closed higher Friday, continuing to ride bullish fundamentals and stronger cash prices.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of $1.88 higher.

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $2.38 higher.

Week to week on Friday, Live Cattle futures closed an average of $2.25 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $1.85 higher during the same period (52¢ higher at the back to $4.42 higher at the front).

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was mostly limited on good demand in all major cattle feeding regions through Friday afternoon, with too few transactions to trend, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

For the week, FOB live prices were $6 higher in the Texas Panhandle at mostly $218/cwt., $5-$8 higher in Kansas at mostly $218, $4-$5 higher in Nebraska at $222-$223 and $5 higher in the western Corn Belt at $222-$223.

Dressed delivered prices were $7-$10 higher in Nebraska at $350 and $8-$10 higher in the western Corn Belt at $350.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 27¢ lower Friday afternoon at $342.90/cwt. Select was $1.07 higher at $325.35. Week to week on Friday, Choice was $6.42 higher and Select was $5.24 higher.  

Grain and Soybean futures closed higher Friday, helped along by the week’s bullish outside markets and what was considered to be a sign of easing tariff tensions with China.

Corn futures closed mostly 1¢ to 2¢ higher, except for 3¢ lower in the front two contracts.

Kansas City Wheat futures closed 11¢ to 13¢ higher.

Soybean futures closed mostly 5¢ to 7¢ higher.