News

Tuesday midday cash livestock markets

Direct cash cattle markets remain at a standstill at midday on Tuesday. Bids and asking prices aren’t well defined, but a few showlists are priced around $134 on the live basis in the South and $210 on the dressed in the North. Significant trade volume will probably wait until the second half of the week, maybe even after USDA’s cattle on feed report is released Friday at 2 PM Central.

In the feeder cattle auction at the Joplin, Missouri Regional Stockyards, steers under 500 pounds were steady, 500 to 650 pounders were steady to $2 higher, and steers over 650 were $1 to $3 lower. Heifers weighing less than 600 pounds were steady to $2 higher, while heifers weighing more than 600 pounds were steady to $2 lower on moderate demand. 500 to 600 pound feeder steers sold at $171 to $187 and heifers in the same weight category ranged from $150 to $169. Estimated receipts were 5,836 head, compared to 7,528 last week and 3,969 last year.

Boxed beef at midday was lower, with Choice down $.69 at $199.88 and Select $.47 lower at $189.24.

Major direct hog markets were mostly higher as packers try to get the needed numbers ahead of next week’s slowdown. Nationally, barrows and gilts opened $.56 higher at $65 to $83, for a weighted average of $78.95. The Eastern Cornbelt was down $.35 at $76.35 to $79, with an average of $78.07, the Western Belt was up $3.18 at $65 to $83, with an average of $81.51, and Iowa/Southern Minnesota was up $3.30 at $65 to $83, for an average of $81.51.

Butcher hogs at the terminal markets are mostly steady with an instance of $1 lower at Zumbrota, Minnesota and tops of $54 to $60. The Missouri Direct base carcass meat price was down $1 to $2 at $73 to $75 on light to moderate demand with sows unchanged at $60 to $74. Estimated receipts were 960 head, compared to 541 a week ago and 1,066 a year ago.

The pork carcass cutout value at midday was down $1.25 at $91.43 as gains in butts and ribs were canceled out by losses in the other primals.