Meat market read, Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Outside skirt at 1414¢/lb is the loudest print in today's box, up 113¢/lb on the session after a 217¢/lb monthly run, and the four-week seasonal history says this cut typically gives back close to 80¢/lb from here, with the worst draws approaching 184¢/lb. That's a carcass running hot on plate and trim while the middle meats sit largely on the sidelines. Chuck short rib at 473¢/lb has shed 88¢/lb on the week yet history adds roughly 25¢/lb over the next four weeks with a positive floor, so the softness there looks more like a temporary bid step-back than a structural break. Choice cutout added 4.50¢/lb today against thin beef loads, a fragile gap between the headline number and the volume backing it. Packer margins are thin enough that the equilibrium tips quickly; cattle on feed running 5.5% above year-ago caps how far the cutout can sustain these levels once kill pace catches up.

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