heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers$179.88/cwt≈ $847/hd at 471 lb · 536 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers$157.70/cwt≈ $745/hd at 473 lb · 431 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 steers$195.94/cwt≈ $819/hd at 418 lb · 428 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
6,040
3,603
2,358
Feeder cattle
5,107
432
1,990
Slaughter cattle
478
1,826
240
Replacement cattle
455
1,345
128
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: All feeder cattle were scarcely tested last sale as it featured bred cows, thus comparisons are not available. Todays sale was comprised mostly of spring born calves. Quality this sale was average to very attractive. Many sets of reputation cattle were seen this sale. Demand for calves was slightly uneven, but most offerings sold with moderate to good demand. Transportation was the biggest factor limiting demand this sale, as trucks are unprecedently tight. Drought conditions and early marketing's coupled with heavy cow movement has truck availability very tight. This led to large and often overlapping price spreads at times. Many feeders in the state have opted to sell their feed and yard space to ranchers for cows instead of feeding calves this year. This has also put some pressure on the market as many offerings that normally sell to local feeders have no place available to feed. Vaccinations were also vital as buyers offered strong premiums for calves with both spring and fall shots. Several sets of weaned calves were seen this week. Many sets of calves have been weaned since the beginning of August due to extremely dry conditions. CME positions saw strong positive movement today as triple digit gains were seen. The October and November feeder cattle contracts closed 3.55 and 3.475 higher respectively. Market activity was mostly active with many buyers ringside actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light demand for moderate offerings. Packers showed very light to light demand for cows for immediate harvest. Heavy supplies of cows have been seen over the last few weeks and packers have started to pack up prices. Slaughter cows sold mostly 5.00-8.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows were not tested. Most cows were extremely thin and very full this sale. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower, again comparisons were difficult due to poor weigh up conditions. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Cows suitable to rebreed sold on mostly good demand. Quality this week was mostly attractive with many one iron home-raised offerings. Offerings sold mostly 5.00 higher.
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: All feeder cattle were scarcely tested last sale as it featured bred cows, thus comparisons are not available. Todays sale was comprised mostly of spring born calves. Quality this sale was average to very attractive. Many sets of reputation cattle were seen this sale. Demand for calves was slightly uneven, but most offerings sold with moderate to good demand. Transportation was the biggest factor limiting demand this sale, as trucks are unprecedently tight. Drought conditions and early marketing's coupled with heavy cow movement has truck availability very tight. This led to large and often overlapping price spreads at times. Many feeders in the state have opted to sell their feed and yard space to ranchers for cows instead of feeding calves this year. This has also put some pressure on the market as many offerings that normally sell to local feeders have no place available to feed. Vaccinations were also vital as buyers offered strong premiums for calves with both spring and fall shots. Several sets of weaned calves were seen this week. Many sets of calves have been weaned since the beginning of August due to extremely dry conditions. CME positions saw strong positive movement today as triple digit gains were seen. The October and November feeder cattle contracts closed 3.55 and 3.475 higher respectively. Market activity was mostly active with many buyers ringside actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on mostly light demand for moderate offerings. Packers showed very light to light demand for cows for immediate harvest. Heavy supplies of cows have been seen over the last few weeks and packers have started to pack up prices. Slaughter cows sold mostly 5.00-8.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows were not tested. Most cows were extremely thin and very full this sale. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower, again comparisons were difficult due to poor weigh up conditions. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Cows suitable to rebreed sold on mostly good demand. Quality this week was mostly attractive with many one iron home-raised offerings. Offerings sold mostly 5.00 higher.