Beef futures rebound as tight cattle supplies support - CME
Hog futures edge up, pork cutout values slipChicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures rose on Monday, bouncing back from Friday's sell-off as bargain-buying and tight US cattle supplies supported the market, reported Reuters.
CME October live cattle futures settled up 4.625 cents on Monday at 234.600 cents per pound, staying above Friday's one-month low of 228.800 cents. December live cattle ended up 4.350 cents at 236.275 cents.
Feeder cattle also rallied, with the October contract settling up 8.700 cents at 354.500 cents per pound.
Cattle futures had dipped on Friday on expectations that US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins might announce a re-opening of the border with Mexico for cattle imports, brokers said. But in her statements after Friday's market close, Rollins did not lay out any plans for a border re-opening.
The United States has blocked cattle imports from Mexico, which has been battling infestations of the New World screwworm parasite. The ongoing border closure has contributed to tight cattle supplies and high US beef prices.
US boxed beef prices softened on Monday, extending their retreat from near-record highs set in early September. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) priced choice cuts of beef on Monday afternoon at $398.53 per hundredweight (cwt), down $1.51 from Friday and the lowest reading in a month.
CME lean hog futures closed modestly higher while staying inside of Friday's trading ranges. The October contract settled up 0.400 cent at 97.525 cents per pound and December ended up 0.225 cent at 88.850 cents.
In other news, Nebraska confirmed its first case of bird flu in a dairy cattle herd, the USDA said on Monday, showing the virus continues to spread in livestock after an outbreak began last year.
On Monday afternoon, the USDA priced the hog carcass cutout at $114.07 per cwt, down 44 cents from Friday.