Minimal trade was reported for the start of the week with most participants testing values or monitoring CME prices, which continue to remain volatile.

For the week ending May 27^th, 2022, cattle slaughter is forecast at 650,000 head, a 1.3 percent increase from 2022 and a 1.3 percent growth from last week. Over the next six weeks, cattle slaughter is expected to average 636,670 head per week, a 1.9 drop from 2022 but a 0.6 percent rise from 2021 levels for the particular time. As the start of June approaches, slaughter levels are forecasted to remain relatively in-line with 640-645 thousand head a week, though, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend has slaughter levels dropping similar to last year. According to the USDA Actual Slaughter Under Federal Inspection for May 6^th, average live weights are currently at 1,359 pounds, 14 pounds lower than the start of March and five pounds under than respective period for 2022.

Based on the Estimated Weekly…