The Cattle Market Guys Podcast
Aug 11, 2026 · 11 min · 11 segments
**Feeder cattle have come off their summer highs, but the lighter steers are already firming back up—500- to 549-pound steers ticked up to over $417 per hundredweight this past week—and Brock and Jim…
Uh, according to the data, 500 to 549 weight steers came in at $417.55 per 100 weight for the week starting August 2nd, and that's actually up a touch from $411.29 the week before.
600 to 649 weight steers firmed up too, landing at $378.77, up from $373.78.
So the lighter cattle are holding their premium and even nudging higher, Brock.
They are, and it's worth putting that in context.
Back on July 5th, that same 500 to 549 weight class was fetching $452.89, so we have come off the summer highs, down about $35 per 100 weight over the month.
But the key is the slide flattened out this past week and actually ticked back up, and the national forecast agrees with the one-week outlook sitting at $425.71 for that weight class and the four-week outlook holding right around $415.
So we've cooled off the peak, but we're leveling out, not falling off a cliff.
Sounds like most Augusts I've seen.
That tracks with what the article from Beef Magazine is saying too.
A Texas A&M AgriLife economist is on record stating that cattle prices haven't hit the ceiling yet based on current supply and demand fundamentals, and that's reinforced by another piece today about ground beef specifically, and demand for ground beef is outpacing other cuts, and the supply of ground beef has actually decreased faster than fed beef supply overall.
That's an interesting dynamic because it means even as fed cattle prices soften short term, the ground beef segment is seeing real upward pressure.
People still love their burgers, Brock.
That ain't changing.
No argument there.
Meanwhile, on the futures side, we saw some choppiness.
The CME reported live cattle futures falling on demand worries tied to broader stock market declines, and that was back on August 8th.
Volume across these weight classes has stayed in the average range according to the data, so we're not seeing panic selling, just normal repositioning.
Jim, what's your gut telling you about this kind of short-term dip against a longer-term bullish outlook now [inaudible]?
Well, I've learned not to get too rattled by a one-week wobble when the deeper story's still pointing up.
That's a fair way to put it.
Uh, according to the data, 500 to 549 weight steers came in at $417.55 per 100 weight for the week starting August 2nd, and that's actually up a touch from $411.29 the week before.
600 to 649 weight steers firmed up too, landing at $378.77, up from $373.78.
So the lighter cattle are holding their premium and even nudging higher, Brock.
They are, and it's worth putting that in context.
Back on July 5th, that same 500 to 549 weight class was fetching $452.89, so we have come off the summer highs, down about $35 per 100 weight over the month.
But the key is the slide flattened out this past week and actually ticked back up, and the national forecast agrees with the one-week outlook sitting at $425.71 for that weight class and the four-week outlook holding right around $415.
So we've cooled off the peak, but we're leveling out, not falling off a cliff.
Sounds like most Augusts I've seen.
That tracks with what the article from Beef Magazine is saying too.
A Texas A&M AgriLife economist is on record stating that cattle prices haven't hit the ceiling yet based on current supply and demand fundamentals, and that's reinforced by another piece today about ground beef specifically, and demand for ground beef is outpacing other cuts, and the supply of ground beef has actually decreased faster than fed beef supply overall.
That's an interesting dynamic because it means even as fed cattle prices soften short term, the ground beef segment is seeing real upward pressure.
People still love their burgers, Brock.
That ain't changing.
No argument there.
Meanwhile, on the futures side, we saw some choppiness.
The CME reported live cattle futures falling on demand worries tied to broader stock market declines, and that was back on August 8th.
Volume across these weight classes has stayed in the average range according to the data, so we're not seeing panic selling, just normal repositioning.
Jim, what's your gut telling you about this kind of short-term dip against a longer-term bullish outlook now [inaudible]?
Well, I've learned not to get too rattled by a one-week wobble when the deeper story's still pointing up.
That's a fair way to put it.
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