Cattle Current Podcast—Nov. 28, 2023

The Cattle Futures exodus that began Friday continued on Monday with a similar degree of momentum, likely exacerbated by month-end positioning.

Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $6.02 lower ($4.72 to $6.52 lower). That’s an average of $12.28 lower in the past two trading sessions.

Live Cattle futures closed an average of $2.52 lower, down an average of $6.27 in the last two sessions.

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade ranged from limited on light demand to a standstill through Monday afternoon, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service. Although too few transactions to trend, there were some early FOB live trades in the Southern Plains and the western Corn Belt at $175/cwt.

Last week, FOB live prices were $1 lower in the Southern Plains at $177, $2 lower in Nebraska at $176 on light trade and steady to $3 lower in the western Corn Belt at $175-$178. Dressed delivered prices were mostly $2 lower in Nebraska at mainly $280 and $2-$4 lower in the western Corn Belt at $278-$280.

The weighted average five-area direct FOB live steer price last week was 87¢ lower at $176.99/cwt. The weighted average dressed delivered steer price was $1.76 lower at $280.09.

Choice boxed beef cutout value was 78¢ lower Monday afternoon at 297.25/cwt. Select was 96¢ lower at $267.80.

Grain futures closed lower amid a commodity-wide sell-off.

Corn futures closed mostly 5¢ to 7¢ lower.

Kansas City Wheat Futures closed 10¢ to 15¢ lower.

Soybean futures closed narrowly mixed but mostly fractionally higher.