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Cattle feeding margins eroded $62 per head last week, falling $35 into negative territory.

Feedyard margins remained about $150 per head last week despite a $6 per cwt. retreat in cash cattle prices.

A cash market rally helped add $62 per head to feedyard margins last week, ending with total average profits of $212 per head, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.

With cash cattle prices tumbling another $4 per cwt lower, cattle feeding margins fell accordingly.

Last week’s $4-plus rally in cash fed cattle prices cut average feedyard losses in half, leaving the red ink totaling $90 on every animal shipped.

Feedyards are as close to breaking even on a cash basis as they’ve been during any point in the past 18 months.

Cattle feeders finally found profitability last week after cattle markets posted a $6 to $7 per cwt. rally.

Last week’s $2 per cwt cash cattle rally lifted feedyard margins to breakeven.

Last week’s $1 per cwt retreat in cash cattle prices took feedyard margins only modestly lower.

A $1 decline in average fed cattle prices and a $25 per head increase in the cost of feeder cattle pushed cattle feeding losses to $52 per head last week.