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Engler said he’s losing money on the Live Cattle Prices he’s fattening in his feed yards, based on futures prices, though he declined to say how much. That’s the case for many beef and pork producers who had enjoyed strong margins as beef cattle prices rallied to record highs earlier this spring. U.S. cattle prices lost an average of $53.42 per animal during the week ended June 4, compared with a profit of $137.36 a month earlier and a profit of $155.96 a year earlier, according to Sterling Marketing, Inc. As margins erode, Engler and other feedlot operators say they’re buying fewer young cattle, known as feeders, to fatten. “You can’t buy feeder cattle prices and go to the (futures market) and come even close to hedging a break-even” price, Engler said. “We are significantly under water going forward.” In trading June 10, CME Group live cattle futures prices for delivery this month fell 1.9 cents to $1.02725 a pound, down 16 percent from a record above $1.22 in early April. Futures traders expect higher cattle prices later this year, with the December contract settling $1.1485. A TOTAL ban on the export of live cattle prces to Indonesia could cause a significant drop in domestic cattle prices, warns a former Warwick livestock agent. None of the meat consumed in the Southern Downs, Mr Bell explained, was meat produced up north.“What they ship overseas is not what we eat here – it’s different cattle and a different breed of mainly droughtmasters,” he said.“All export cattle are a lot bigger kilogram-wise and the average body weight of what is consumed locally is probably half of what goes over there. Our local market eats cattle that are a lot younger and better.” Cattle Imports Prices during April were up 10% from a year earlier. Imports of cattle from Canada were down 45%.Fed cattle prices were higher following six weeks of decline. Cattle prices have a seasonal tendency to firm up in the summer when demand returns and the present buildup of boxed beef is drawn down. Cattle prices have been sliding lower, since a two-week reversal developed in early April. This reversal pattern identified a quick halt to the rally after cattle prices climbed to an unprecedented historical high of $122.875.Just as the charts gave traders an insight that cattle prices would realign to a new higher trading range, the fundamental long term outlook for cattle prices has grown more positive due to herd liquidation. 
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