Cattle Market Pulse

Ash Flat Livestock Auction Market Report

Ash Flat, Arkansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 22, 2023

304 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $195.61/cwt -2.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,035/hd at 529 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 304 473 724
Feeder cattle 222 368 604
Slaughter cattle 79 85 100
Replacement cattle 3 20 20

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: No trend established for Feeder Steer and Feeder heifers due to light test. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-3.00 higher. Demand good for all classes. Facility holding special cow sale in addition to regular sale 12/29/2023.

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
335 335 1 255.00 $255.00 $854 -4.92
355 355 1 287.50 $287.50 $1,021 +9.64
410–425 415 3 261.00–282.50 $268.08 $1,113 —
455–495 475 2 242.00–255.00 $248.23 $1,179 -1.36
590 590 1 226.00 $226.00 $1,333 -5.60
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 221.00 $221.00 $994 +20.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–335 328 3 209.00–235.00 $221.36 $726 -12.63
355–395 375 7 200.00–225.00 $208.50 $782 -17.46
400–425 409 7 200.00–220.00 $205.80 $842 -9.62
460–490 473 8 200.00–211.00 $202.68 $959 -8.51
510–535 529 11 191.00–210.00 $195.61 $1,035 -2.51
550–597 579 5 190.00–211.00 $203.26 $1,177 +2.97
625 625 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,125 +2.04
650–660 655 2 185.00–195.00 $189.96 $1,244 +10.95
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 190.00 $190.00 $608 -10.00
380–395 388 2 185.00–190.00 $187.55 $728 -21.45
435 435 1 170.00 $170.00 $740 -22.91
490 490 1 180.00 $180.00 $882 +0.29
505–520 513 4 165.00–185.00 $178.79 $917 -4.75
670–675 673 2 170.00 $170.00 $1,144 -3.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 2 170.00–185.00 $177.50 $541 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–340 323 2 275.00–285.00 $280.27 $905 +15.37
353–395 367 3 260.00–275.00 $265.38 $974 +28.53
405–440 425 3 258.00–261.00 $259.99 $1,105 -7.35
450 fancy 450 1 278.00 $278.00 $1,251 —
460–465 461 4 230.00–235.00 $233.74 $1,078 -24.01
508–544 532 6 240.00–242.00 $240.64 $1,280 +19.11
555–568 564 3 200.00–218.00 $205.91 $1,161 -2.09
610 610 1 223.00 $223.00 $1,360 +12.79
690 690 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,484 +23.51
700 700 1 223.00 $223.00 $1,561 +45.99
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 200.00 $200.00 $640 -45.00
410–440 424 4 200.00–210.00 $203.87 $864 -32.58
480–490 485 3 211.00–227.00 $219.31 $1,064 +5.11

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1255 1082 80-85% 3 76.00–79.00 $78.13 $845 —
925–1285 1118 80-85% 19 80.00–82.50 $80.72 $902 —
1035–1260 1177 80-85% 12 84.00–87.00 $85.75 $1,009 -0.69
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1495 1366 75-80% 6 89.00–93.00 $90.62 $1,238 —
1275–1575 1453 75-80% 8 81.00–87.00 $84.21 $1,224 —
1780 1780 75-80% 1 70.00 $70.00 $1,246 -29.00
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1005 975 85-90% 3 75.00 $75.00 $731 —
875–1045 978 85-90% 5 60.00–65.00 $62.82 $614 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1425 1340 3 82.00–87.00 $84.09 $1,127 —
1425–1770 1598 2 98.00–104.00 $101.32 $1,619 —
1785 1785 1 113.00 $113.00 $2,017 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
950 950 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,025.00 $1,025.00
1000–1100 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 925.00–950.00 $936.90

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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.