DTN Midday Livestock Comments          09/17 11:59

   Early Dressed Sales are Marked at $350 

   Some light cash cattle trade has developed in the North at $350 which is 
steady with last week's weighted average. 

ShayLe Stewart
DTN Livestock Analyst

GENERAL COMMENTS:

   The livestock complex is trading mixed again into the day's noon hour as the 
cattle contracts can't seem to find the fundamental support that traders 
desire, but the lean hog contracts are trading mildly higher. Some light cash 
cattle trade has developed in the North at $350 which is steady with last 
week's weighted average. December corn is down 5 1/4 cents per bushel and 
December soybean meal is up $7.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 
374.04 points and NASDAQ is up 424.92 points.

    

LIVE CATTLE:

   The live cattle complex continues to trade lower as traders simply aren't 
seeing the fundamental support they had hoped would develop this week surface. 
October live cattle are down $0.60 at $217.85, December live cattle are down 
$1.37 at $218.77 and February live cattle are down $1.47 at $219.42. 
Unfortunately, today's decline does put the spot December live cattle contract 
back below it's 40-day moving average. There's been some light developments 
this morning in the fed cash cattle market where dressed cattle in the North 
have been traded at $350 -- which is fully steady with last week's weighted 
average. Most of those cattle have been marked for delivery for the week's of 
Sept. 21 and Sept. 29. Bids of $220 are on the table in Kansas, but otherwise 
there hasn't been any more trade.

   Boxed beef prices are lower: choice down $3.68 ($372.13) and select down 
$2.30 ($352.27) with a movement of 71 loads (47.43 loads of choice, 7.06 loads 
of select, zero loads of trim and 16.98 loads of ground beef).

FEEDER CATTLE:

   And again today, keeping in alignment with the live cattle complex, the 
feeder cattle contracts are also trading lower. September feeders are down 
$2.22 at $336.25, October feeders are down $2.82 at $326.80 and November 
feeders are down $1.87 at $321.22. The spot October feeder cattle contract is 
now trading below its 40-day moving average as well.

LEAN HOGS :

   The lan hog complex is also trading lower even though pork cutout values are 
higher today. October lean hogs are up $0.27 at $78.95, December lean hogs are 
down $0.05 at $69.90 and February lean hogs are down $0.37 at $71.37. If demand 
holds strong over the next couple of days, then there is a chance that maybe 
next week the market could see the contracts gradually trade higher. The 
projected lean hog index for 9/16/2026 is down $0.79 at $85.02, and the actual 
index for 9/15/2026 is down $0.79 at $85.81. Hog prices are unavailable on the 
Daily Direct Morning Hog Report, however we can see that only 25 head have 
traded and that the market's five-day rolling average now sits at $84.24. Pork 
cutouts total 134.02 loads with 119.96 loads of pork cuts and 14.06 loads of 
trim. Pork cutout values: up $1.93, $88.28.

   ShayLe Stewart can be reached shayle.stewart@dtn.com




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