Hog herd shrinks more than expected, USDA data shows - CME

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle and feeder cattle futures closed lower on Thursday as processing by beef companies fell sharply, reported Reuters. Meatpackers slaughtered an estimated 90,000 cattle, down from 107,000 a week ago, the US Department of Agriculture said.Slaughtering has declined this week as industry members reported an immigration crackdown has kept meatpacking workers away from beef plants in Dodge City and Liberal, Kansas. Shipments of cattle to plants have been del