Cattle Market Pulse

Ash Flat Livestock Auction Market Report

Ash Flat, Arkansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, September 29, 2023

805 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Ash Flat Livestock Auction report →

light 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $231.32/cwt -11.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,217/hd at 526 lb · 15 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $265.18/cwt ≈ $1,480/hd at 558 lb · 15 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $230.24/cwt +0.90 vs last sale · ≈ $1,101/hd at 478 lb · 14 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 805 879 998
Feeder cattle 703 755 818
Slaughter cattle 86 99 120
Replacement cattle 16 25 60

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold 2.00-4.00 lower. Feeder heifers sold steady to 3.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-4.00 lower. Demand good for all classes.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–338 330 5 260.00–280.00 $275.35 $909 +12.91
355–368 364 3 285.00–288.00 $285.98 $1,041 +17.26
410–425 420 7 260.00–280.00 $273.63 $1,149 -8.07
470–477 476 11 250.00–271.00 $267.21 $1,272 -6.06
505–540 522 6 250.00–260.00 $254.55 $1,329 -6.59
550–585 562 5 245.00–257.00 $251.33 $1,412 -9.08
568 value added 568 2 270.00 $270.00 $1,534 —
605–640 619 5 235.00–260.00 $246.31 $1,525 -9.94
670–690 680 2 255.00–260.00 $257.54 $1,751 +5.22
705 705 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,551 —
755 755 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,736 -7.51
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 1 250.00 $250.00 $812 —
557–560 558 15 250.00–269.00 $265.18 $1,480 —
751 751 4 240.00 $240.00 $1,802 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 255.00 $255.00 $854 —
350–370 358 3 240.00–255.00 $245.30 $878 +0.46
405–445 425 4 220.00–245.00 $231.31 $983 -20.01
515 515 1 245.00 $245.00 $1,262 +11.94
560–585 573 2 230.00–240.00 $234.89 $1,346 -6.07
620 620 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,426 -10.00
790 790 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,580 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–370 365 2 190.00–220.00 $205.21 $749 -14.79
525 525 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,102 +10.00
575 575 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,208 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–345 321 5 235.00–250.00 $241.06 $774 +9.75
350–395 378 13 220.00–240.00 $232.05 $877 -0.35
400–445 424 10 220.00–245.00 $230.79 $979 -2.40
440 440 1 200.00 $200.00 $880 -33.19
450–495 472 10 210.00–234.00 $222.74 $1,051 -6.60
493 value added 493 4 249.00 $249.00 $1,228 —
503–545 515 12 220.00–245.00 $230.55 $1,187 +8.12
550–595 575 14 200.00–224.00 $212.14 $1,220 -7.68
615 value added 615 4 235.00 $235.00 $1,445 —
600–635 620 10 210.00–230.00 $217.94 $1,351 -0.91
655–690 668 3 200.00–215.00 $205.16 $1,370 -17.65
710 710 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,420 -18.68
750 750 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,500 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330–335 332 3 200.00–220.00 $213.37 $708 +16.79
360–390 377 3 200.00–215.00 $205.04 $773 -6.66
378 value added 378 2 221.00 $221.00 $835 —
400–440 412 7 190.00–210.00 $195.83 $807 -7.06
500–545 518 6 200.00–215.00 $205.18 $1,063 +5.88
625–645 635 2 190.00–200.00 $195.08 $1,239 -3.92
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
580 580 1 170.00 $170.00 $986 —
745 745 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,155 —
860 860 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,204 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
314–340 319 9 275.00–285.00 $283.26 $904 +11.99
355–395 382 13 250.00–280.00 $268.84 $1,027 -3.68
400–440 418 9 255.00–275.00 $266.18 $1,113 -1.11
455–485 466 4 255.00–270.00 $262.81 $1,225 +4.74
505–545 525 14 220.00–243.00 $229.99 $1,207 -12.74
540 fancy 540 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,350 —
550–580 564 9 230.00–255.00 $237.08 $1,337 +0.78
600–620 608 5 215.00–228.00 $219.66 $1,336 -5.66
660–695 680 3 205.00–230.00 $215.01 $1,462 +0.26
750 750 1 194.00 $194.00 $1,455 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–390 378 4 228.00–250.00 $236.77 $895 -2.38
400–445 429 4 220.00–245.00 $232.33 $997 -10.18
460–485 473 7 230.00–240.00 $235.10 $1,112 +9.24
505 505 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,010 -23.83
640 640 1 200.00 $200.00 $1,280 -2.45
675 675 2 185.00–190.00 $187.50 $1,266 +10.51
715 715 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,216 —
840 840 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,554 +35.00
950 950 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,472 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–495 478 3 200.00 $200.00 $956 ±0.00

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890–1200 1018 80-85% 13 80.00–85.00 $83.74 $852 +0.90
975–1210 1091 80-85% 9 86.00–89.00 $87.55 $955 —
975–1345 1153 80-85% 6 90.00–92.50 $90.89 $1,048 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1595 1373 75-80% 6 93.00–98.00 $95.02 $1,305 -0.35
1285–1765 1466 75-80% 8 85.00–92.50 $88.39 $1,296 -1.65
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120 1120 85-90% 1 73.00 $73.00 $818 +7.48
1125–1140 1133 85-90% 2 61.00–69.00 $65.03 $737 -0.49

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1380 1380 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,297 —
1460–2075 1608 7 110.00–117.00 $113.78 $1,830 —
2005 2005 1 123.00 $123.00 $2,466 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
940–1100 1020 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,000.00–1,360.00 $1,194.12
1035–1100 1084 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,050.00–1,200.00 $1,111.19
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1215 1215 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 97.00 $97.00 $1,179
1170–1375 1273 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 94.00–98.00 $96.16 $1,224

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1000–1050 1025 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 1,050.00–1,500.00 $1,280.49 —
1050 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 1,650.00 $1,650.00 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.