DTN Midday Livestock Comments          03/30 11:50

   Traders Drive Livestock Contracts Higher 

   Continuing to rally off the support established late last week, the 
livestock contracts scaled higher into Monday's noon hour. 

ShayLe Stewart
DTN Livestock Analyst

GENERAL COMMENTS:

   The livestock complex is off to a bullish start to the week as all three of 
the markets are trading higher into Monday's noon hour. New showlists appear to 
be somewhat lower in Texas, Nebraska and Kansas. May corn is down 3 3/4 cents 
per bushel and May soybean meal is up $1.20. The Dow Jones Industrial Average 
is up 306.71 points and NASDAQ is down 26.41 points.

LIVE CATTLE:

   Thus far it's been another prosperous day for the live cattle complex as the 
market is charging onward, full-speed ahead into Monday's noon hour. Fueled by 
a combination of strong support from traders and from the stability recently 
seen in boxed beef prices -- along with mostly steady tones in last week's fed 
cash cattle market -- the live cattle complex has finally regained its bullish 
sentiment. April live cattle are up $1.15 at $239.65, June live cattle are up 
$1.35 at $240.12 and August live cattle are up $1.27 at $237.32. New showlists 
appear to be somewhat lower in Texas, Nebraska and Kansas.

   Last week Northern dressed sales were marked at mostly $372, which is steady 
with last week's weighted average, and it wasn't until late in the day on 
Friday that some live cattle sales were reported in the South at $233 to $235 
which is steady to $1.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average.

   Boxed beef prices are higher: choice up $2.69 ($395.66) and select up $0.90 
($390.77) with a movement of 28 loads (14.47 loads of choice, 3.55 loads of 
select, 5.90 loads of trim and 3.57 loads of ground beef).

FEEDER CATTLE:

   Keeping in perfect alignment with the live cattle complex, the feeder cattle 
contracts are also charging higher into Monday's noon hour. Aside from the 
multi-faceted support the live cattle complex is currently seeing, the feeder 
cattle contracts are seeing that demand plus more as buyers have been notably 
more aggressive in sale barns across the countryside in recent weeks. With 
turnout season to grass nearing, demand will likely only get stronger. April 
feeders are up $2.47 at $363.92, May feeders are up $2.00 at $361.82 and August 
feeders are up $2.57 at $360.37.

LEAN HOGS:

   The lean hog complex is also rallying into Monday's noon hour as traders are 
pleased to see midday pork cutout values up again and the market is keeping 
with the upward trend established last week. June lean hogs are up $0.22 at 
$106.35, July lean hogs are up $0.32 at $109.15 and August lean hogs are up 
$0.32 at $108.85. Helping drive the midday carcass price higher is mostly the 
$3.74 jump in the picnic, and then the $2.28 increase in the belly.

   The projected CME Lean Hog Index for 3/27/2026 is down $0.42 at $90.76 and 
the actual index for 3/26/2026 is down $0.29 at $91.18. Hog prices are 
unavailable on the Daily Direct Morning Hog Report because of confidentiality. 
However, we can see that only 1,355 head have traded and that the market's 
five-day rolling average now sits at $90.91. Pork cutouts totaled 121.98 loads 
with 105.22 loads of pork cuts and 16.76 loads of trim. Pork cutout values: up 
$1.89, $98.45.

   **

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   **

   ShayLe Stewart can be reached at shayle.stewart@dtn.com




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