# Lower Livestock Prices Amid Increased Demand is Difficult to Understand - Mid-West Farm Report

> Cash fed cattle prices fell $7 to $8 per hundredweight and cash hogs fell $3 per hundredweight in the week of April 3, 2020. The drop followed a shift in consumer demand away from higher-priced whole muscle cuts toward ground beef and other products, and Senator Grassley asked the Justice Department and USDA to examine the decline.

- Date: 2020-04-03 · published 2020-04-03T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: market · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/6444-lower-livestock-prices-amid-increased-demand-is-difficult-to-understand-mid
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md)

## Why it matters

Weaker demand for premium cuts is pushing cash livestock prices lower and reducing packer buying of animals. Lower finished animal values point to softer feed demand from feedlots and hog operations.

## Read by commodity

- HOGS: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-05 | 5 | -9.3% | -4.3 | Cash fed cattle fell $7-8 in the week on a shift in demand away from whole muscle cuts, reducing the price floor for futures. |
| HOGS | 2020-04-03 | 5 | -20.8% | -4.8 | Cash hogs fell $3/cwt that week as demand shifted away from higher-priced cuts, confirming weak cash market and pulling futures down. |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-06 | 5 | -11.3% | -5.0 | Cash fed cattle fell $7-8 that week as demand shifted away from whole muscle cuts, weakening the price base for futures. |
| LCATTLE | 2020-04-06 | 1 | -6.0% | -4.4 | Cash fed cattle fell $7-8 in the week of April 3 as demand shifted away from whole muscle cuts, pressuring futures lower. |
| HOGS | 2020-04-02 | 5 | -19.1% | -4.9 | Cash hogs fell $3/cwt in the week to April 3, confirming weaker cash markets and demand shifts, though partly coincident with the move. |

## Sources

- midwestfarmreport.com: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2020/04/03/lower-livestock-prices-amid-increased-demand-is-difficult-to-understand/

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