Cattle Market Pulse

Ash Flat Livestock Auction Market Report

Ash Flat, Arkansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, May 24, 2024

350 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $252.63/cwt -10.62 vs last sale · ≈ $1,430/hd at 566 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 350 583 576
Feeder cattle 284 503 443
Slaughter cattle 50 60 109
Replacement cattle 16 20 24

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 400lb to 600lb sold 6.00 to 7.00 dollars higher. Feeder heifers 400lb to 600lb sold steady. Feeder bulls sold 7.00 dollars higher. Slaughter cows sold 3.00 to 4.00 higher and slaughter bulls sold 2.00 to 3.00 dollars higher. Buyer attendance was good with a strong demand

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
293 293 2 387.50 $387.50 $1,135 —
330–338 335 3 327.50–345.00 $339.26 $1,137 —
360–380 370 2 325.00–327.50 $326.22 $1,207 +12.29
415–425 419 6 312.50–330.00 $322.52 $1,351 +8.36
487 value added 487 3 317.00 $317.00 $1,544 —
505 value added 505 3 317.00 $317.00 $1,601 —
510–520 515 2 292.50–305.00 $298.81 $1,539 +3.88
560–575 568 2 272.50–287.00 $279.85 $1,590 -11.32
660 660 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,848 +15.00
695 695 1 258.00 $258.00 $1,793 -7.00
705 705 1 272.00 $272.00 $1,918 +19.25
790 790 2 244.00 $244.00 $1,928 +5.30
840 840 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,869 —
890 890 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,869 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 315.00 $315.00 $1,102 +27.50
405–435 418 3 280.00–307.50 $291.95 $1,220 +6.95
470–495 485 4 285.00–300.00 $288.71 $1,400 +10.54
510–540 525 8 273.00–287.50 $279.62 $1,468 +16.80

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–435 418 4 295.00–302.50 $298.76 $1,249 +2.45
410–430 420 2 272.50–285.00 $278.60 $1,170 -17.71
450–490 475 4 250.00–265.00 $256.09 $1,216 -26.32
480 480 1 272.50 $272.50 $1,308 -9.91
530 530 1 262.50 $262.50 $1,391 +9.15
550–585 564 9 247.00–267.50 $255.15 $1,439 +15.15
585 585 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,346 -41.01
610 610 1 247.50 $247.50 $1,510 -0.51
665–685 675 2 240.00–245.00 $242.46 $1,637 —
705 705 1 232.50 $232.50 $1,639 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–330 314 5 302.50–317.50 $313.87 $986 +31.94
350–390 376 5 280.00–297.50 $288.92 $1,086 +9.84
410–430 423 3 272.50–287.50 $281.57 $1,191 +26.11
475–495 483 5 245.00–267.50 $255.11 $1,232 +1.82
515–545 527 3 235.00–252.50 $244.02 $1,286 +4.02
555 555 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,304 +2.72
660 660 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,468 —
750 750 1 217.50 $217.50 $1,631 +27.50

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 1 327.50 $327.50 $1,130 —
385 thin fleshed 385 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,309 —
400–430 414 4 302.50–315.00 $308.83 $1,279 -2.47
470–495 478 3 287.50–310.00 $299.36 $1,431 -5.64
485 thin fleshed 485 1 327.50 $327.50 $1,588 —
510–545 524 7 270.00–295.00 $290.09 $1,520 +6.78
570–575 573 2 260.00–277.00 $268.54 $1,539 -5.34
610 610 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,738 +65.00
610 610 1 265.00 $265.00 $1,616 +45.00
795 795 1 239.00 $239.00 $1,900 +13.92
800 800 1 229.00 $229.00 $1,832 +24.00
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455–493 480 3 265.00–282.50 $276.97 $1,329 +18.66
510–530 520 2 225.00–230.00 $227.55 $1,183 -32.37
545 545 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,390 -4.92
610 610 1 222.50 $222.50 $1,357 -27.50
630 630 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,512 -10.00
720–725 723 4 223.00–227.50 $224.87 $1,626 +9.87
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
840 840 (<2 yrs)N/A 3 1,200.00 $1,200.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1360 1360 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 237.50 $237.50 $3,230 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1220 1112 80-85% 5 117.50–121.00 $119.34 $1,327 -0.19
945–1375 1143 80-85% 6 122.50–132.00 $128.04 $1,463 +1.55
1160–1605 1351 80-85% 4 135.00–145.00 $139.13 $1,880 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995 995 85-90% 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,045 —
955–1165 1023 85-90% 4 111.00–117.50 $114.42 $1,171 —
955–1170 1050 85-90% 5 120.00–127.50 $123.25 $1,294 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300–1680 1415 75-80% 4 132.00–138.00 $135.39 $1,916 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1440–1880 1623 3 150.00–165.00 $159.49 $2,589 +0.48
1575–1850 1710 4 166.00–176.00 $170.70 $2,919 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1430 1430 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 139.00 $139.00 $1,988

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1225 1225 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 122.00 $122.00 $1,494
1270 1270 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 131.00 $131.00 $1,664
1275–1415 1345 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 117.00–120.00 $118.42 $1,593
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1065 1065 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,700.00 $1,700.00
1135 1135 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
850 850 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,650.00 $1,650.00 —
1300 1300 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,250.00 $2,250.00 -250.00

↑ Back to top

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.