Cattle Current Market Update with Wes Ishmael

Whether you trade cattle once a year or every day, Cattle Current with Wes Ishmael helps you stay in the market with a daily morning snapshot of the previous day's market action and news shaping the market ahead. Cattle market highlights and commentary include: market news; cash calf and feeder cattle price trends at auction; relevant futures prices and trends; cash fed cattle prices; overview of the cash grain market; trends in major Equity indexes. Stay in the market.

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 20, 2025

Cattle futures melted down Friday on President Trump’s widely reported and vague comments that the White House plans to lower beef prices. Algorithmic trading likely drove the selloff deeper and faster than would have otherwise been the case. Fundamentally speaking and guided by history, government intervention in cattle and beef markets has never been [...]

10-19
09:35

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 17, 2025

Negotiated cash fed cattle trade ranged from limited on moderate demand in the North to inactive on light demand in the Southern Plains through Thursday afternoon, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service. Although too few to trend, there were some early FOB live sales in Nebraska at $240/cwt. and in the western Corn Belt [...]

10-17
06:16

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 16, 2025

Cattle futures paused from the recent surge on Wednesday. Live Cattle futures closed narrowly mixed, from an average of 13¢ lower in four contracts to an average of 19¢ higher. Feeder Cattle futures closed from an average of 34¢ lower, except for an average of 8¢ higher in three contracts. Cattle futures were mainly [...]

10-16
04:50

Cattle Current Daily—Oct. 15, 2025

Cattle futures rolled higher Tuesday, supported by cash. Live Cattle futures closed an average of $1.76 higher. Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $4.31 higher. They’re taking a breather so far on Wednesday. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was inactive on light to moderate demand in all regions through Tuesday afternoon, according to [...]

10-15
04:45

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 14, 2025

Cattle futures continued to churn higher Monday. Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of $1.12 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $2.18 higher, except for 12¢ lower in spot Oct. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was inactive on light to moderate demand in all regions through Monday afternoon, according [...]

10-13
04:04

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 13, 2025

Cattle futures started Friday's session lower with traders apparently taking some profits from the week's bullish gains. Then cash fed cattle trade erupted with significantly higher prices and futures were off to the races again. Live Cattle futures closed an average of $2.45 higher. Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $2.96 higher. Negotiated [...]

10-12
07:53

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 10, 2025

Cattle futures continued to climb Thursday supported by fundamental strength and increasing odds of steady to higher cash fed cattle trade this week. Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of $1.75 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $5.19 higher. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was inactive on light to [...]

10-09
05:05

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 9, 2025

Traders pushed Cattle futures higher Wednesday, supported by increasing odds that wholesale beef values are near their seasonal bottom and eyes apparently fixed on tightening supplies. Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of $1.82 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $5.40 higher. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was inactive [...]

10-08
04:50

Cattle Current Podcast— Oct. 8, 2025

Cattle futures were higher again Tuesday, helped along by the previous day’s announcement of another New World screwworm detection in northern Mexico and a day of higher wholesale beef values. Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of $1.31 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $3.71 higher. Negotiated cash fed [...]

10-08
04:14

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 7, 2025

Cattle futures bounced higher Monday, likely due in part to the U.S. standing pat on Brazilian beef import tariffs, at least for now. Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of $2.33 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $5.73 higher. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was inactive on light to [...]

10-06
07:04

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 6, 2025

Cattle futures closed higher Friday but continued the back and forth sideways path. Live Cattle futures closed an average of 85¢ higher. Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $2.64 higher. Week to week on Friday, Live Cattle futures closed an average of 90¢ higher (20¢ higher toward the front to $1.62 higher near [...]

10-04
06:49

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 3, 2025

Cattle futures stepped lower Thursday, bowing to softer cash fed cattle prices and the continued seasonal decline in wholesale beef values. Some also suggested conditional FDA approval of an injectable from Zoetis for the prevention and control of New World screwworm might have been part of the pressure, speculating it might mean a quicker [...]

10-02
04:56

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 2, 2025

Cattle futures were firm in the deferred contracts Wednesday but weak up front with pressure from lower cash fed cattle prices. Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of 60¢ higher, except for an average of 38¢ lower in the front two contracts. Feeder Cattle futures were mixed, from an average of [...]

10-01
05:40

Cattle Current Podcast—Oct. 1, 2025

Cattle futures, especially Feeder Cattle bounced higher Tuesday, supported by likely month-end and quarter-end position squaring and the quarterly Grain Stocks report (see below). Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of $1.38 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $5.08 higher. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was inactive on light [...]

10-01
04:29

Cattle Current Podcast—Sept. 30, 2025

Cattle futures wandered on both sides of steady on Monday, favoring a slightly softer tone. Toward the close, Live Cattle futures were an average of 35¢ lower. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of 78¢ lower across a wide range. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was mostly inactive on light to moderate demand in [...]

09-29
07:04

Cattle Current Podcast—Sept. 29, 2025

Cattle futures mostly firmed on Friday. Live Cattle futures closed an average of 92¢ higher, except for 25¢ lower and unchanged in the front two contracts. Feeder Cattle futures closed an average of $1.68 higher. Week to week on Friday, Live Cattle futures closed mixed, from an average of $1.12 lower in the front [...]

09-28
06:52

Cattle Current Podcast—Sept. 26, 2025

Cattle futures stepped lower Thursday as wholesale beef prices continue to fall and with early weekly cash fed cattle trade weaker. Toward the close, Live cattle futures an average of $2.60 lower. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $5.49 lower, except for 2¢ higher in spot Sep. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was light [...]

09-26
04:53

Cattle Current Podcast—Sept. 25, 2025

Cattle futures softened Wednesday and consolidated with some likely profit taking and waiting for weekly cash fed cattle direction. Toward the close, Live cattle futures were an average of $1.72 lower. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $3.27 lower, except for 55¢ higher in spot Sep. Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was inactive [...]

09-25
05:30

Cattle Current Podcast—Sept. 24, 2025

Cattle futures closed mainly higher Tuesday with follow-through support from the previous day’s New World screwworm news. Toward the close, Live cattle futures were mixed from an average of 98¢ lower in the front four contracts to an average of $1.08 higher. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $2.94 higher. Negotiated cash fed [...]

09-24
06:07

Cattle Current Podcast—Sept. 23, 2025

Cattle futures stormed higher Monday, fueled by news that New World screwworm was confirmed just about 70 miles south of the U.S. border (see below) and traders thinking it will prevent Mexican cattle imports for even longer. Last week’s Cattle on Feed report may have provided some added lift. Toward the close, Live cattle [...]

09-23
07:04

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