# Cattle futures slide on negative packer margins - CME
						 | The Cattle Site

> CME cattle futures fell Thursday in a technical and fund-selling retreat as beef packer margins deteriorated to a loss of about $257 per head. Packer bids in the Plains came in at $243 to $245, below the prior week's $249. A looming strike at a Greeley, Colorado plant added to concerns about lower slaughter.

- Date: 2026-02-27 · published 2026-02-27T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: market · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/5730-cattle-futures-slide-on-negative-packer-margins-cme-the-cattle-site
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md), [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md)

## Why it matters

Deeply negative packer margins threaten reduced slaughter and lower cash bids, which weighs on fed cattle futures. A strike at a major plant would further cut demand for fed cattle.

## Read by commodity

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

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2026-03-02 | 1 | -3.1% | -5.9 | Negative packer margins (about -$257/head), lower packer bids and fund selling reduce packer demand for cattle, which is bearish for live cattle. |

## Sources

- thecattlesite.com: https://www.thecattlesite.com/news/cattle-futures-slide-on-negative-packer-margins-cme

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