Lower Cash Trade Surfaces Early | 3/12/26 Cattle Chatter

The boxed beef market took another jump as the week comes to a close. However, lower cash trade surfaced early, with sales reported at $235 and $236—about a $5 drop from the previous week. On this week’s Cattle Chatter, Brad Kooima with Kooima Kooima Varilek discusses why those early sales showed up, noting that packers are currently making money and that could lead to questions about whether Saturday slaughter schedules might pick up. As the market works through these dynamics, the cattle complex may simply have to “chop wood” for the next 30 days.