Cattle markets held steady to stronger as the seasonal bump in demand from Memorial Day, Father’s Day and 4th of July lies ahead.
Yearling feeder cattle sold fully steady to $5 per cwt. higher with the full advance found on the heavier yearlings over 800 pounds. Steer and heifer calves sold steady to $5 per cwt. higher.
Cash fed cattle traded steady with the previous week in a light trade that developed late in the week. Cattle in Nebraska and Iowa-Southern Minnesota sold on a dressed basis at $256.50 per cwt. A limited cash trade in the Southern Plains found cattle moving at $161 per cwt.
Boxed beef prices posted all-time highs on Thursday at $264.74, before closing $2.81 lower on Friday at $261.93, $3.81 higher than the previous Friday. Select closed Friday at $251.10 per cwt., $4.28 higher than the week before.
Slaughter cows and bulls sold mostly steady to $2 per cwt. higher.
USDA’s Cutter cow carcass cut-out value Friday afternoon was $232.10 down $1.24 per cwt. from last Friday.
