Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were weaker on Thursday, as a lack of fresh news continued to weigh on values.
The December live cattle contract dropped 6.275 cents per pound at 219.000 cents. Feeder cattle fell 9.025 cents in the January contract at 318.450 cents per pound.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported wholesale boxed beef prices were weaker, with choice boxes dipping 88 cents at $373.57 per hundredweight and select boxes down $4.91 at $355.03/cwt.
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Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rose on Thursday to their highest in nearly 17 months as traders awaited a U.S. government crop report that was expected to lower yield estimates, while also bracing for the resumption of export data to give clues on Chinese buying.
The reopening of the United States government failed to generate the gains as seen in the grain and oilseed markets.
Lean hog prices were weaker, with the December contract gave up 2.550 cents at 78.075 cents per pound. Federally inspected hog slaughter for Thursday was estimated at 494,000 head by the USDA, taking the weekly total to 1.94 million head.
