Bovine Mishap at the Border: Livestock Incident Reported
In the latest USDA reports, live and feeder cattle futures have shown modest gains as of mid-2025, reflecting ongoing market conditions.
On Tuesday morning, USDA Wholesale Boxed Beef prices increased, with the Chc/Sel spread narrowing to $10.79. Choice boxes were up 25 cents to $395.56, while Select was quoted 92 cents higher at $385.02/cwt. However, no bids were made on the 1,064 head offered in the Tuesday morning Fed Cattle Exchange online auction.
In the feeder cattle market, Sep 25 Feeder Cattle are trading at $306.475, down $4.150. Meanwhile, the weekly OKC feeder cattle auction showed 4,764 head estimated in Monday's sale, with prices steady to $4 higher.
Looking at live cattle futures, August 25 is trading at $211.375, down $2.500, while October 25 is trading at $208.025, down $2.150. For December 25, live cattle futures are trading at $208.475, down $2.175.
For context, on June 30, 2025, August live cattle futures closed 57 cents higher at $213.87, and October live cattle futures closed 35 cents higher at $210.17. The August contract often trades at a discount compared to deferred months like October and December due to seasonal factors and market expectations about processing capacity and demand.
In the feeder cattle market, August feeder cattle futures rose $2.77 to $310.67, and September feeder cattle futures increased $2.72 to $310.62 on June 30, 2025. Markets have shown strength driven by good demand and strong cash markets, which support higher feeder cattle futures prices.
However, detailed daily or weekly price changes for live cattle and feeder cattle futures in August, October, and December 2022 are not provided in the search data. Generally, futures prices for cattle in 2022 fluctuated due to factors such as feed costs, consumer demand, weather impacts on cattle supply, and pandemic-related disruptions. For precise historical price data from 2022, specialized commodity market data sources or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange archives would be recommended.
**Disclosure Policy** All information and data in this article is for informational purposes only. Austin Schroeder does not have positions in any securities mentioned in this article.
**Update** Following the USDA's announcement of a risk-based reopening of the border with Mexico on Monday afternoon, starting on July 7, feeder cattle futures have shown a slight decline. As of midday, feeder cattle futures are down $4.10 to $4.30. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was up $2.10 to $314.07 on June 27. Trade last week saw sales at $230-233 in the North and $223-225 in the South for live cattle futures.
Despite the ongoing gains in live and feeder cattle futures as of mid-2025, sports activities might take a backseat for some livestock farmers and traders, as they closely monitor the changes in feeder cattle futures, with Sep 25 Feeder Cattle trading at $306.475 as of the latest data. On the same note, strength in the feeder cattle market, driven by good demand and strong cash markets, is causing feeder cattle futures prices to rise, just like how a strong team performance can lead to higher expectations in sports.
