Cattle futures edge higher on tight supply concerns - CME
Lean hogs drift lower amid choppy technical trade
3 March 2026
1 minute read
By: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live and feeder cattle futures turned slightly higher on Monday on the continued tight supply of cattle and increasing number of New World Screwworm cases in Mexico, Reuters reported, citing analysts.
Cattle futures lost ground the previous week on negative meatpacker margins and lower cash cattle prices, which have continued to provide a ceiling prices.
The average beef packer margin was estimated at a negative $220 per head on Monday, compared with a negative $347.25 per head a week ago, according to livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge.
CME April live cattle futures LCJ26 closed 0.875 cent higher at 233.10 cents per pound. April feeder cattle rose 2.125 cents to end at 353.325 cents per pound.
The US cattle herd has lingered near a 75-year low, and the closure of the US-Mexico border to Mexican cattle imports has constricted the already-tight cattle supply.
A looming strike at a large beef plant in Greeley, Colorado, hung over the market, as a loss of production would dent demand for fed cattle and further weaken cash markets.
Elevated beef prices also could come under seasonal pressure, as milder weather that normally ushers in outdoor grilling season remains weeks or months away, analysts said.
For boxed beef, the US Department of Agriculture reported that values for choice cuts rose by $1.50 to $381.34 per hundredweight, while select cuts increased by $3.90 to $378.21 per hundredweight.
Lean hog futures chopped up and down amid technical trading and ended the day slightly lower.
CME April hogs closed 0.15 cent lower at 95.575 cents per pound.
