LIVESTOCK-Live cattle futures end higher on bargain buying, tight supplies

CHICAGO, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on Monday, bouncing back from Friday's sell-off as bargain-buying and tight U.S. cattle supplies supported the market.

CME October live cattle futures LCV25 settled up 4.625 cents on Monday at 234.600 cents per pound, staying above Friday's one-month low of 228.800 cents. December live cattle LCZ25 ended up 4.350 cents at 236.275 cents.

Feeder cattle also rallied, with the October contract FCV25 settling up 8.700 cents at 354.500 cents per pound.

Cattle futures had dipped on Friday on expectations that U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins might announce a re-opening of the border with Mexico for cattle imports, brokers said. But in her statements after Friday's market close, Rollins did not lay out any plans for a border re-opening.

The United States has blocked cattle imports from Mexico, which has been battling infestations of the New World screwworm parasite. The ongoing border closure has contributed to tight cattle supplies and high U.S. beef prices.

U.S. boxed beef prices softened on Monday, extending their retreat from near-record highs set in early September. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced choice cuts of beef on Monday afternoon at $398.53 per hundredweight (cwt), down $1.51 from Friday and the lowest reading in a month.

CME lean hog futures closed modestly higher while staying inside of Friday's trading ranges. The October contract LHV25 settled up 0.400 cent at 97.525 cents per pound and December LH25 ended up 0.225 cent at 88.850 cents.

In other news, Nebraska confirmed its first case of bird flu in a dairy cattle herd, the USDA said on Monday, showing the virus continues to spread in livestock after an outbreak began last year.

On Monday afternoon, the USDA priced the hog carcass cutout at $114.07 per cwt, down 44 cents from Friday.