# Cattle, Hog Prices Are Still Trapped and Heading Lower. What to Watch Next.

> October live cattle fell $1.20 Friday and both live and feeder futures lost ground over the week, staying in downtrends. The article ties the weakness to the reopening of the southern border to Mexican cattle and tariff-free beef imports, and to President Trump's proposal to let farmers process their own meat.

- Date: 2026-08-31 · published 2026-08-31T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: policy · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/18028-cattle-hog-prices-are-still-trapped-and-heading-lower-what-to-watch-next
- Commodities: [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md), [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Border reopening and beef import moves are bearish for cattle prices, which may reduce feedlot margins and pressure feeder demand.

## Read by commodity

- HOGS: neutral
- FCATTLE: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2026-08-31 | 1 | -3.2% | -4.4 | Ties live cattle weakness and persistent downtrends to Mexican border reopening, tariff-free beef imports and Trump's proposal to let farmers process their own meat. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HOGS | 2018-11-14 | [China's top pig farming firm to follow new lower protein feed standards
						 \| The Pig Site](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62041-china-s-top-pig-farming-firm-to-follow-new-lower-protein-feed-standards-the-pig.md) | +0.3% | -5.4% |
| HOGS | 2019-11-18 | [China urges regions to speed up pig breeding ahead of Lunar New Year](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56062-china-urges-regions-to-speed-up-pig-breeding-ahead-of-lunar-new-year.md) | -1.8% | +4.5% |
| HOGS | 2021-10-01 | [Biden v Big Meat: Can the US tackle rising beef prices?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44702-biden-v-big-meat-can-the-us-tackle-rising-beef-prices.md) | -1.1% | -14.9% |
| HOGS | 2020-03-10 | [PM urges drastic solutions to control cattle, poultry diseases](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54022-pm-urges-drastic-solutions-to-control-cattle-poultry-diseases.md) | -6.9% | -20.7% |
| HOGS | 2025-01-20 | [China holds lending rates steady as it contends with a weakening yuan](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9596-china-holds-lending-rates-steady-as-it-contends-with-a-weakening-yuan.md) | +0.9% | +9.4% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-11-01 | [Cattle Crash on Trump’s Plan to Lower Beef Prices: Row Crops Rally](https://feedsoft.ai/events/22525-cattle-crash-on-trump-s-plan-to-lower-beef-prices-row-crops-rally.md) | -3.7% | -5.3% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-11-14 | [Did the Administration's Plan to Lower Beef Prices Wreck the Bull Run in the Cattle Market? - Drovers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6067-did-the-administration-s-plan-to-lower-beef-prices-wreck-the-bull-run-in-the.md) | +1.1% | +0.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-10-28 | [Cattle Futures Sink After Trump Vows to Cut High US Beef Prices - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6335-cattle-futures-sink-after-trump-vows-to-cut-high-us-beef-prices-bloomberg.md) | -0.8% | -11.7% |

## Sources

- barchart.com: https://www.barchart.com/story/news/4356220/cattle-hog-prices-are-still-trapped-and-heading-lower-what-to-watch-next

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.