Beef packers will begin the holiday-shortened week after Labor Day with fewer cattle in inventory. Prices for fed cattle and feeders were modestly lower this week, with many feedyard operators unwilling to accept lower bids and will wait until next week.
Cattle traded in the North from $142 to $145 per cwt. live and $228 to $230 dressed, mostly $2 to $4 lower. Cattle traded in the South at $141 per cwt., mostly $1 lower.
Feeder cattle traded mixed at $2 lower to $3 higher. Calves sold mostly $4 lower.
August Live cattle went off the board after posting prices in the last days that were the highest for LC since 2015. On Friday, October live cattle futures rose $1.75 to $144.55, up $1.50 for the week. October feeder cattle rose 60 cents to $184.95, up $1.55 for the week.
Wholesale beef prices moved lower. Choice boxed beef closed Friday at $259.42 per cwt., $3.34 lower for the week. Select closed at $238.58 per cwt., 38 cents lower for the week.
Weekly estimated cattle slaughter was 638,000 head, up 17,000 from the same week last year. Year-to-date total was estimated at 22.74 million head, up 1.3% from a year earlier.
