light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers$128.00/cwt≈ $1,043/hd at 815 lb · 12 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
2,962
2,629
3,606
Feeder cattle
50
1,275
871
Slaughter cattle
1,237
1,189
135
Replacement cattle
1,675
165
2,600
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last Monday: Feeder cattle were not tested today due to the bred cow special. A few open heifers sold off the bred offerings. These offerings sold on mostly moderate demand. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand and heavy offerings. Over 1,300 weigh up cows and bulls sold this sale. Cows started the sale on mostly light demand, however demand increased drastically as the sale progressed. Packers showed mostly light demand for cows until midway through the sale. Feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 higher on fleshy cows. All other feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows all returned to feed. Cow quality was mostly average this sale. A heavy offering of bred cows was seen this week as this was the annual Thanksgiving bred cow special. Quality was mostly average overall. Demand was mostly moderate with a good crowd on hand. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however firm undertones were noticed as packers and feeding buyers competed over offerings. Young 2-3 year olds suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. Demand for these offerings remains mostly good.
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 Monday: Feeder cattle were not tested today due to the bred cow special. A few open heifers sold off the bred offerings. These offerings sold on mostly moderate demand. Weigh up cows sold on light to moderate demand and heavy offerings. Over 1,300 weigh up cows and bulls sold this sale. Cows started the sale on mostly light demand, however demand increased drastically as the sale progressed. Packers showed mostly light demand for cows until midway through the sale. Feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 higher on fleshy cows. All other feeding cows sold steady to 3.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 lower on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows all returned to feed. Cow quality was mostly average this sale. A heavy offering of bred cows was seen this week as this was the annual Thanksgiving bred cow special. Quality was mostly average overall. Demand was mostly moderate with a good crowd on hand. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however firm undertones were noticed as packers and feeding buyers competed over offerings. Young 2-3 year olds suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. Demand for these offerings remains mostly good.