Choice boxed beef bounced $2.21/cwt to $375.56 on light Monday trade while Select slipped to $354.13 (spread widened back to $21.43). Brisket and round led beef higher, peeled knuckle won back about 34¢/lb of Friday’s drop, and pork firmed across nearly every primal, hams included.
Moved: up
- Choice cutout: $375.56 (+$2.21, about 2¢/lb), snapping a two-session slide.
- Choice primals higher: brisket $300.02 (+$9.59, about 10¢/lb) · round $295.98 (+$5.84, about 6¢/lb) · loin $462.73 (+$3.80, about 4¢/lb) · flank $159.98 (+$2.06) · rib $669.36 (+64¢, about flat).
- Beef cuts up (Choice, ≥20,000 lb traded): Bottom sirloin flap (185A) $774.71 (+$35.93, about 36¢/lb, 34,552 lb) · Peeled knuckle (167A) $382.99 (+$34.40, about 34¢/lb, 127,202 lb), recovering most of Friday’s 46¢ drop · Chuck short rib (130) $612.83 (+$19.39, about 19¢/lb) · Deckle-off brisket (120) $441.62 (+$18.65, about 19¢/lb, 38,703 lb) · Top inside round (168) $391.43 (+$17.42, about 17¢/lb, 69,455 lb) · Chuck flap (116G) $792.87 (+$16.56) · Tri-tip (185C) $469.07 (+$15.02) · Top butt (184) $509.85 (+$14.56, about 15¢/lb, 51,095 lb) · Plate short rib (123A) $730.65 (+$11.93, 50,370 lb).
- Middle meats on thin volume (under 20,000 lb, read with caution): heavy tenderloin (189A) $1,728.67 (+$81.74) · heavy ribeye (112A) $1,606.24 (+$24.41) · 0x1 strip loin (180) $973.09 (+$5.49).
- Pork (direction only): carcass cutout higher for a second session. Ham, picnic, loin, belly and butt all firmed; spareribs were the only primal a touch lower. We show pork as a weekly trend of completed weeks in USDA cutout history.
Flat / soft
- Select cutout: $354.13 (−17¢, flat). Select rib −$1.98 and Select chuck −$1.93; Select loin +$3.43.
- Choice primals lower: plate $231.05 (−$2.67, about 3¢/lb) · chuck $331.54 (−$1.11).
- Beef cuts lower: Chuck roll (116A) $578.32 (−$14.64, about 15¢/lb) on a heavy 177,668 lb · Chuck tender (116B) $401.14 (−$9.53, 99,002 lb) · 0x1 short loin (174) $844.24 (−$9.50, 93,372 lb) · Flank steak (193) $617.81 (−$14.83, about 15¢/lb, 20,809 lb) after Friday’s 34¢ jump.
- Ground beef & trim: 81% $340.77 (−$6.95, about 7¢/lb) on a big 330,645 lb · 73% $255.90 (−$8.13) · 85% $418.84 (+78¢, flat). Fresh 50s $86.93 (−$7.19, about 7¢/lb, 276,563 lb), down for a second session.
- Volume: a light Monday. Choice cuts 46.41 loads (vs 83.14 Friday); total beef loads about 80 (vs about 124). Pork 271.81 loads (vs 297.81).
Holiday / seasonal buy note
Thanksgiving is six weeks out (Thu Nov 26). USDA hams firmed again Monday after last week’s five-session slide, so the cheapest ham window may be starting to close. If you still need Thanksgiving or December ham programs, now is a good time to lock pricing before the bounce runs. Brisket and round are moving up, and rib is holding near its highs into the holiday season, so booking holiday rib quantities early usually beats waiting. Turkey isn’t in these boxed-beef/pork reports, so we’re not calling it. See the holiday buying calendar.
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