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Market ready cattle prices were spurred by a relatively strong futures market and a strengthening in wholesale beef prices.

The Choice cutout was $212.05 down $0.45 from Thursday and down $8.45 from last Friday, while fed cattle trade was $2 to $3 lower than a week ago on a live basis.

In a high or low cattle market environment, capturing the most pounds per calf affects a producer’s bottom line, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist.

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There was little change in finished cattle prices this week which likely has feedlot managers sweating bullets.

Producers are going to have to be a little more savvy in marketing calves and feeder cattle since forward pricing opportunities appear limited.

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The recent price pressure is not necessarily a bad thing as it may benefit packers and feedlots alike down the road.

“Too big, too fat, too inconsistent,” is how Hop Dickinson, former CEO of the American Hereford Association, described cattle in the 1990s.

More beef and lower prices should be positive for U.S. international trade.