Improving prices brought more feeder cattle to the auctions with 28,000 head at the test auctions, which was up 10,000 head from the previous week. Prices were mostly $1-8 higher. They started to creep higher late last week then improved more as this week progressed.

Slaughter cow numbers almost doubled compared to the previous week with 6,100 head at the test auctions. Prices improved on the heels of increases in the cow cutout and 90% trimmings, but some regions that had plant closures actually had some lower prices, so there was much more variation between the areas.