Hog prices slip as USDA reports herd contraction - CME
Beef futures pressured by weaker wholesale demand
30 September 2025
1 minute read
By: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures ticked lower on Monday in a technical pullback after futures surged in the previous session, Reuters reported, citing traders.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report on Thursday said the nation's inventory on September 1 was 74.5 million head, down 1.3% from a year earlier. Analysts had on average predicted a 0.3% increase.
CME December hogs closed 0.70 cent lower at 90.35 cents per pound.
CME December live cattle fell 0.475 cent to end at 233.825 cents per pound. CME November feeder cattle FCX25 fell 0.60 cent to end at 353.875 cents per pound.
Declining wholesale beef prices have weighed on live and feeder cattle futures.
Wholesale beef prices have continued a seasonal decline as weather cools and grilling season is put in the rearview mirror. The USDA priced choice cuts of beef was at $370.68 per hundredweight (cwt) on Monday afternoon, down 75 cents. Select cuts also fell $3.55 to $348.89 per cwt.
The USDA reported a week ago that there were 11.1 million cattle in US feedlots as of September 1, down 1.05% from a year earlier. Analysts had expected a smaller drop of 0.9%.
Traders remained on edge about the spread in Mexico of New World screwworm, a damaging livestock pest, after the USDA said on Sunday that Mexico had confirmed a case less than 70 miles from the US border.
