DTN Midday Livestock Comments          11/13 11:44

   Traders Send the Livestock Contracts Higher on Friday 

   Some light cash cattle trade has developed in Nebraska at $335, but that was 
only on a small sample -- so it's anyone's guess still where the week's 
weighted may land. 

ShayLe Stewart
DTN Livestock Analyst

GENERAL COMMENTS:

   The livestock contracts are attempting to end the week on a strong note as 
currently all three of the contracts are trading higher into Friday's noon 
hour. There's been some light business noted in the Nebraska for the fed cash 
cattle market, but largely feedlot managers are holding out for better prices. 
December corn is up four cents per bushel and December soybean meal is up 
$4.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 82.22 points, and NASDAQ is 
down 306.74 points.

LIVE CATTLE:

   Upon seeing the resiliency of the fed cash cattle market, which has seen a 
few head traded at $335 in the Nebraska but otherwise hasn't seen any other 
cattle just yet -- traders are encouraged to see feedlot managers holing out, 
hoping that packer interest will improve, even it is just by a $1 or $2. 
December live cattle are up $2.32 at $221.22, February live cattle are up $2.42 
at $225.32 and April live cattle are up $2.50 at $228.45. As I mentioned above, 
some very light cash cattle trade has been noted in Nebraska at $335, but not 
enough cattle have traded to say that any sort of a trend has developed yet 
this week. Bids remain on the table at $335 dressed in Nebraska, and at $215 in 
Kansas. Packers will likely need to show more interest this afternoon unless 
they feel extremely confident in the supply, they have already. 

   Boxed beef prices are lower: choice down $1.75 ($355.84) and select down 
$0.79 ($347.92) with a movement of 28 loads (22.38 loads of choice, 3.22 loads 
of select, zero loads of trim and 2.28 loads of ground beef). 

FEEDER CATTLE:

   And with the added market support of seeing the live cattle contracts 
trading higher -- the feeder cattle contracts can continue to boldly rally into 
Friday's noon hour. November feeders are up $3.22 at $338.90; January feeders 
are up $4 at $335.67 and March feeders are up $4.12 at $332.40. And so long as 
the live cattle contracts continue to trade higher through the afternoon 
Friday, it's likely that the feeder cattle contracts will close with this 
momentum. 

LEAN HOGS:

   And lo and behold, even the lean hog contracts are rallying into Friday's 
noon hour. It's likely the combination of greater trader support mixed slightly 
with the uptick in pork demand and luckily the lean hog contracts are trading 
higher too. December lean hogs are up $1.12 at $56.27, February lean hogs are 
up $1.07 at $62.07, and April lean hogs are up $1.90 at $68.72. The projected 
lean hog index for Nov. 12, 2026 is down $1.05 at $57.73, and the actual index 
for 11/11/2026 is down $1 at $58.78. Hog prices are lower on the Daily Direct 
Morning Hog Report, down $0.08 with a weighted average price of $42.26, ranging 
from $34 to $45 on 3,051 head and a five-day rolling average of $41.24. Pork 
cutouts total 112.07 loads with 88.76 loads of pork cuts and 23.32 loads of 
trim. Pork cutout values: up $3.17, $72.31.

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




(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.