DTN Midday Livestock Comments          10/30 11:51

   Weaker Tones Follow the Livestock Contracts into Friday Afternoon 

   There was a thin movement noted this morning in Kansas at $225, but by no 
means has there been enough cattle traded to say that any sort of a market 
trend has been established. 

ShayLe Stewart
DTN Livestock Analyst

GENERAL COMMENTS:

   The livestock complex is continuing to trade lower as there simply hasn't 
been enough fundamental support in this week's market to entice traders into 
pushing the contracts higher at this point in time. There was some light trade 
noted this morning in Kansas at $225 but otherwise no sales have been reported. 
December corn is down 1 1/4 cents per bushel and December soybean meal is down 
$3.10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 353.09 points and the NASDAQ is 
down 678.30 points.

LIVE CATTLE:

   It's been a painstaking morning for the live cattle complex as the market is 
currently trading $3.00 to $5.00 lower into Friday's noon as traders are 
disappointed by the lack of fundamental support this week. The market has only 
seen a light test in the fed cash cattle market, but it's fully assumed that 
prices will be lower this week when sizeable trade does begin to develop. There 
was a light report this morning noting that some Southern cattle had traded in 
Kansas at $225, but again not enough moved at those prices to note any sort of 
a weekly trend. And earlier this week on dressed cattle were traded at $350 to 
$352, but likewise that was only on a thin volume. So as traders sit anxiously 
waiting to see exactly what this week's trade is going to amount to, their 
support for the complex is diminishing rather quickly as unfortunately 
fundamental support simply hasn't been sufficient enough to keep the contracts 
stable this week. October live cattle are down $3.27 at $224.00, December live 
cattle are down $5.22 at $221.07 and February live cattle are down $5.02 at 
$224.45. 

   Boxed beef prices are mixed: choice down $0.40 ($366.88) and select up $1.65 
($353.28) with a movement of 101 loads (86.80 loads of choice, 3.83 loads of 
select, 8.11 loads of trim and 1.96 loads of ground beef). 

FEEDER CATTLE:

   And upon seeing the live cattle contracts tuck and run, the feeder cattle 
market has suffered gravely as currently its contracts are trading anywhere 
from $7.00 to $9.00 lower into Friday's noon hour. November feeders are down 
$7.90 at $338.57, January feeders are down $8.97 at $332.97 and March feeders 
are down $9.07 at $328.77. And until there's some support found in the market's 
fundamentals, a lower trend is likely going to continue to be the feeder cattle 
market's trajectory. 

LEAN HOGS:

   The lean hog complex is trading lower into Friday's noon hour as overall, 
it's been a disappointing week for the hog sector too as demand remain 
unstable. And while yes, this morning pork prices may be higher, that's simply 
not enough assurance to motivate traders into pushing the market higher at this 
point in time. December lean hogs are down $0.97 at $58.85, February lean hogs 
are down $1.10 at $63.62 and April lean hogs are down $0.87 at $69.75. The 
projected lean hog index for 10/29/2026 is down $0.73 at $66.57, and the actual 
index for 10/28/2026 is down $1.00 at $67.30. Hog prices are lower on the Daily 
Direct Morning Hog Report, down $1.66 with a weighted average price of $61.40, 
ranging from $49.00 to $67.00 on 2,691 head and a five-day rolling average of 
$59.78. Pork cutouts total 189.91 loads with 168.35 loads of pork cuts and 
21.56 loads of trim. Pork cutout values: up $3.05, $73.74. 

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




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