# Cattle futures sink to multiyear lows as Tyson plant fire hangs over market | Financial Post

> CME cattle futures fell to multiyear lows on Tuesday, with some live and feeder cattle contracts hitting daily trading limits for a second straight day. The selloff followed a fire at Tyson Foods' Finney County beef plant in Kansas, which was expected to stay down indefinitely. The plant reportedly processed about 6,000 head of cattle per day.

- Date: 2019-08-13 · published 2019-08-13T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/7604-cattle-futures-sink-to-multiyear-lows-as-tyson-plant-fire-hangs-over-market
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Losing that slaughter capacity leaves fed cattle with fewer packing options, which pressures cash and futures prices while logistics adjust. Uncertainty about how long the plant stays closed keeps downward pressure on the complex.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: bearish ▼
- LCATTLE: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2019-08-15 | 5 | -4.4% | -3.7 | Cattle futures hit multiyear lows and limit-down for a second straight day as the plant was expected to stay down indefinitely, so reduced packer demand for cattle drove the selloff. |
| FCATTLE | 2019-08-12 | 5 | -8.5% | -4.6 | Live and feeder cattle futures hit daily limits and multiyear lows after the fire, with the plant expected to stay down indefinitely, which directly matches the size of the move. |
| LCATTLE | 2019-08-12 | 1 | -2.0% | -3.2 | It describes the selloff following the fire with limit-down moves starting the Monday after, but it is dated Aug 13 and mostly covers the continued decline. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2019-08-21 | [Markets see major movement after Tyson plant fire - Progressive Cattle \| Ag Proud](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57734-markets-see-major-movement-after-tyson-plant-fire-progressive-cattle-ag-proud.md) | +1.6% | -4.3% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-08-30 | [Beef Market Update: Tyson plant fires still playing a role in cash market - RealAgriculture](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10906-beef-market-update-tyson-plant-fires-still-playing-a-role-in-cash-market.md) | -4.4% | -3.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2025-11-24 | [Tyson Foods to close major US beef plant as cattle supplies dwindle](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6868-tyson-foods-to-close-major-us-beef-plant-as-cattle-supplies-dwindle.md) | +1.3% | +5.8% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-08-30 | [Markets slow to recover from post-fire crash \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10035-markets-slow-to-recover-from-post-fire-crash-western-livestock-journal.md) | -4.4% | -3.7% |
| LCATTLE | 2019-08-15 | [‘Significant’ market impacts expected after Tyson fire](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7607-significant-market-impacts-expected-after-tyson-fire.md) | -1.4% | -5.7% |
| FCATTLE | 2019-08-21 | [Markets see major movement after Tyson plant fire - Progressive Cattle \| Ag Proud](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57734-markets-see-major-movement-after-tyson-plant-fire-progressive-cattle-ag-proud.md) | +1.7% | +2.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2025-11-24 | [Tyson Foods to close major US beef plant as cattle supplies dwindle](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6868-tyson-foods-to-close-major-us-beef-plant-as-cattle-supplies-dwindle.md) | +4.7% | +7.1% |
| FCATTLE | 2019-08-30 | [Markets slow to recover from post-fire crash \| Western Livestock Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10035-markets-slow-to-recover-from-post-fire-crash-western-livestock-journal.md) | -3.9% | +4.0% |

## Sources

- financialpost.com: https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/cattle-futures-sink-to-multiyear-lows-as-tyson-plant-fire-hangs-over-market

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