Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were not tested this week as todays sale featured bred cows and weigh ups. With a shortened holiday week, weigh up cows mostly 1.00-3.00 lower and feeding cows 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Cow quality today was mostly plain to average. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady with instances up to 2.00 higher. A heavy offering of bred cows walked through the ring as Billings Livestock hosted its annual Thanksgiving week stock cow special. Market activity for bred cows was mostly moderate with an average size crowd on hand.
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 not tested this week as todays sale featured bred cows and weigh ups. With a shortened holiday week, weigh up cows mostly 1.00-3.00 lower and feeding cows 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Cow quality today was mostly plain to average. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady with instances up to 2.00 higher. A heavy offering of bred cows walked through the ring as Billings Livestock hosted its annual Thanksgiving week stock cow special. Market activity for bred cows was mostly moderate with an average size crowd on hand.