heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers$138.88/cwt-0.12 vs last sale · ≈ $904/hd at 651 lb · 25 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$142.50/cwt+22.50 vs last sale · ≈ $936/hd at 657 lb · 23 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$148.79/cwt-0.21 vs last sale · ≈ $844/hd at 567 lb · 17 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,378
1,660
1,044
Feeder cattle
314
510
192
Slaughter cattle
559
806
132
Replacement cattle
505
344
720
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on steers and steady to higher undertones on heifers. Demand was mostly moderate to good. Good demand was seen for high quality, light fleshed offerings. Demand for plain or crossbred offerings was not as robust, however demand was better than last week. Corn prices have fallen sharply over the couple few weeks which has helped improve demand for feeder cattle. Quality was mostly plain to average this week. CME positions traded mostly lower today with the nearby May contract closing 0.825 lower at 135.75, while the August closed 1.80 lower at 151.075. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand for heavy offerings. Packers opted to put the majority of the cow offering on feed this week. Heavy supplies of cows continue to be marketed as drought conditions continue across the Dakotas and western Minnesota. The cutter cow cutout continues to increase in value as retailers continue to buy ground beef for the upcoming Memorial day holiday. Packers opted only to send cows not suitable to feed to slaughter this sale. Most of these cows are destined for short term feed or a holding ration until packers can find shackle space for these cows. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows sold fully steady as very few of this class of cow is being offered across the Northern Plains due to drought. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady on a lower quality offering than was seen last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to 5.00 lower. A heavy offering of thin or plain offerings was seen this week. While steady prices were seen on high quality cows suitable to rebreed. Feeding quality cows sold mostly lower.
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.
Cattle Market
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on steers and steady to higher undertones on heifers. Demand was mostly moderate to good. Good demand was seen for high quality, light fleshed offerings. Demand for plain or crossbred offerings was not as robust, however demand was better than last week. Corn prices have fallen sharply over the couple few weeks which has helped improve demand for feeder cattle. Quality was mostly plain to average this week. CME positions traded mostly lower today with the nearby May contract closing 0.825 lower at 135.75, while the August closed 1.80 lower at 151.075. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand for heavy offerings. Packers opted to put the majority of the cow offering on feed this week. Heavy supplies of cows continue to be marketed as drought conditions continue across the Dakotas and western Minnesota. The cutter cow cutout continues to increase in value as retailers continue to buy ground beef for the upcoming Memorial day holiday. Packers opted only to send cows not suitable to feed to slaughter this sale. Most of these cows are destined for short term feed or a holding ration until packers can find shackle space for these cows. Slaughter cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows sold fully steady as very few of this class of cow is being offered across the Northern Plains due to drought. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady on a lower quality offering than was seen last week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to 5.00 lower. A heavy offering of thin or plain offerings was seen this week. While steady prices were seen on high quality cows suitable to rebreed. Feeding quality cows sold mostly lower.