US cattle futures rise on firm cash, beef prices - CME
Hog futures rebound from six-month low
11 June 2026
1 minute read
By: Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed higher on Wednesday in range-bound trade, supported by strength in cash cattle markets and firm beef prices, reported Reuters.
Slaughter-ready cattle traded in cash markets last week mostly at $256 to $258 per hundredweight, and brokers expected steady to higher prices this week, although cash trade was inactive on Wednesday.
Live cattle futures remained at a discount to cash values, a factor that has supported futures this week. Front-month CME June live cattle futures settled up 2.075 cents on Wednesday at 250.100 cents per pound, and most-active August cattle closed up 1.800 cents at 241.500 cents a pound.
CME August feeder cattle futures inched up 0.225 cent to settle at 354.375 cents per pound.
Brokers continued to monitor outbreaks of New World screwworm parasite after the first domestic infestation since the 1960s was found in a Texas calf last week. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed a total of seven US screwworm cases as of Wednesday.
The pest does not affect meat, but market players are watching to see whether an expanding outbreak will affect consumer demand for beef.
The USDA priced choice cuts of beef on Wednesday afternoon at $393.28 per cwt, up 38 cents from Tuesday, but below last week's peak of $395.86.
CME lean hog futures closed higher, with the most-active July contract bouncing after falling to its lowest level since late November. July hogs settled up 0.700 cent at 96.850 cents per pound, after a dip to 95.500 cents.
The USDA priced pork carcasses late on Wednesday at $95.96 per cwt, unchanged from Tuesday.
