Direct cash cattle trade activity is quiet again to start the day. Bids haven’t surfaced. Asking prices are around $182-plus live in the South, but have yet to be fully established in the North. Packer inquiry is expected to pick up as the day progresses. However, significant trade volume could hold out until Friday.
Boxed beef is mixed at midday with light demand for moderate offerings. Choice is $.88 lower at $294.10 and Select is $.48 higher at $285.90. The Choice/Select spread is $8.20.
At the Hub City Livestock Auction in South Dakota, steers 550 to 649 pounds were steady to $2 lower, 650 to 799 pounds were $2 to $7 higher, and steers 850 to 899 pounds were mostly steady.
