Paul Dykstra

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Shifting sands in weekly cash trade.
Cutout values increasing at blistering speed.
The pace of cattle harvest continues to slow.
With large moves in both directions, fed cattle prices have been erratic for the past three weeks.
The passing of the early summer seasonal high in fed cattle values came two weeks earlier than last year but was aligned with that of 2023.
The Nebraska and Iowa/Minnesota reporting regions continue to lead the way with a trading range from $239 to $244/cwt.
Live cattle futures continue to ignore the strength in spot cash trade with a sharp downside correction last Wednesday, extending into Thursday, pulling $5/cwt.
Fundamental supply and demand have taken control of spot fed cattle values over April Live Cattle futures lows.
The fed cattle market was sharply higher last week with a $4.29/cwt. upward move.
The 2025 fed cattle harvest has run very close to a year ago with the full production weeks averaging 473,000 head, a 1,600-head increase over the same period last year.