Beef markets rally on tight cattle supply, higher prices - CME
Hog futures edge higher despite weak signals
28 April 2026
1 minute read
By: US cattle futures rose for a third straight session on Monday on a tight cattle supply and fading expectations that the US-Mexico border will re-open for cattle imports in the near-term, reported Reuters.
Screwworm cases have continued to explode in southern Mexico. Last week, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins canceled a scheduled trip to Douglas, Arizona, a key port of entry for cattle. Market players interpreted the cancellation of the trip as a sign that she will not announce the re-opening of the port.
Rising wholesale beef prices also underpinned cattle amid a seasonal spike in demand and constricted cattle supply.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) June live cattle gained 3.725 cents to settle at 248.95 cents per pound. May feeder cattle ended 6.55 cents higher at 368.325 cents per pound.
Wholesale beef prices jumped on Monday, with the choice cutout gaining $2.56 to $389.56 per hundredweight and select cuts up $2.53 at $388.60 per cwt, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Beef packer margins remain deep in the red, with packers estimated to lose $156.80 per head of cattle slaughtered on Monday, but up from a week prior.
CME lean hog futures chopped up and down on Monday and settled slightly higher in a largely technical trade.
Benchmark June lean hogs rose 0.275 cent to end at 102.175 cents per pound.
