Cattle, Hog Prices Are Still Trapped and Heading Lower. What to Watch Next. Jim Wyckoff Mon, August 31, 2026 at 7:29 AM PDT 4 min read LE=F HE=F Angus cow by Jeremy Stenuit via iStock October live cattle (LEV26) futures on Friday fell $1.20 to $211.725 and for the week were down $6.20. November feeder cattle (GFX26) futures lost $1.55 to $309.925 and on the week lost $6.325. The cattle futures markets have seen steady technical selling over the past four weeks as both markets remain trapped in price downtrends on the daily bar charts. Cattle traders this week will digest the implications of President Donald Trump's administration trying to bring down the price of beef at the meat counter. Trump Friday said on social media that his administration will seek changes to allow farmers and ranchers to slaughter and process their own products in response to calls to loosen the grip of the big companies that dominate U.S. meat processing. "I am authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "This should move quickly." The southern U.S. border reopening and Trump's move to allow tariff-free beef imports aimed at lowering beef prices have weighed on cattle markets recently, pushing live and feeder futures near nine-month lows. More News from Barchart Was the Commodity Complex a Case of More of the Same Monday? Arabica Coffee Consolidates Recent Losses Rip-Roaring Bull Markets Are Taking Corn, Soybean, and Wheat Prices Higher Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! Softening cash cattle and beef market fundamentals have compounded the pressure on futures and have given packers the upper hand in dealing with feedlot operators. Improved packer margins, helped by tighter slaughter capacity, have lifted recent slaughter rates and should bolster better demand as cooler weather sets in this fall. The USDA at midday on Friday reported active cash cattle trading last week at lower money, with steers averaging $218.65 and heifers $218.63. The agency reported average cash cattle trading the week prior at $225.01. www.barchart.com www.barchart.com The major U.S. stock indexes recently hit record highs, which is good for upbeat consumer attitudes that could support better consumer demand for beef at the meat counter heading into fall. Recent U.S. inflation reports that showed tamer readings than in previous months are also a positive for consumers. However, retail gasoline prices at the pump that are still elevated have consumers concerned. Demand for beef could be crimped with gasoline prices staying close to $4.00 a gallon at the pumps. Story Continues Still, the U.S. cattle-supply story remains price-friendly. The USDA recently reported that U.S. feedlot placements during July totaled just 1.42 million head, down 11% from a year earlier and the lowest July placement total since the series began in 1996. July marketings were also historically low at 1.62 million head,...
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