A quiet start to the week for direct cash cattle trade activity.  Trade is expected to develop earlier than normal due to the holiday-shortened week.  Both bids and asking prices have been slow to surface.  Last week’s business took place mostly on Tuesday and Wednesday with a little scattered cleanup trade on Thursday and Friday.  Southern live deals were generally $2 to $4 lower than the previous week’s business at $136 to $138 and Northern dressed deals were steady to $2 lower than the prior week’s weighted averages at mostly $218 to $220. 

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