Cattle feeders in the South saw some of the progress they had made in the cash market slip away last week. There were only two of the major packers in the market, and no packer’s needs were huge. Sales volumes were smaller and slaughter for the week declined to 668,000 head, 8,000 head smaller than the previous week. This softer demand allowed packers to pull the market back to $140 per cwt., $2 under the previous week.
Feeders in the North also experienced the same disappointment in their market. Cash topped out at $140 and dressed cattle in the lower $220’s.
Small trades should be expected for the next couple of weeks. Most packers will only be running a four-day work week during the holidays. These shorter hours combined with a slowing demand will probably keep a lid on the market for a while.
Brad Hulett is Director, Customer Development & Regional Manager, Kansas, at Consolidated Beef Producers , Inc.
