Cattle Market Pulse

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Market Report

Lakeland, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 21, 2026

482 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Cattlemen's Livestock Auction report →

light 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $602.70/cwt +12.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,917/hd at 318 lb · 19 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 steers $497.91/cwt +7.73 vs last sale · ≈ $2,141/hd at 430 lb · 16 head
heavy 2-weight M&L 1 steers $686.35/cwt -14.76 vs last sale · ≈ $1,860/hd at 271 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 482 351 416
Feeder cattle 366 281 366
Slaughter cattle 116 70 50

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows mostly steady, slaughter bulls 1.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder steers, bulls, and heifers steady to 5.00 higher.

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
210–220 215 8 720.00–790.00 $754.19 $1,622 +32.83
255–285 271 15 660.00–720.00 $686.35 $1,860 -14.76
305–335 319 11 640.00–670.00 $654.34 $2,087 +33.42
355–375 365 14 580.00–630.00 $604.32 $2,206 +13.98
410–440 425 12 520.00–555.00 $538.12 $2,287 +17.76
450–490 470 10 480.00–520.00 $499.15 $2,346 +13.68
505–525 514 9 470.00–490.00 $479.08 $2,462 +23.86
565–585 575 8 435.00–465.00 $450.26 $2,589 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–325 317 11 590.00–620.00 $603.99 $1,915 +23.36
370–390 380 8 540.00–570.00 $554.61 $2,108 +14.27
420–440 430 16 480.00–515.00 $497.91 $2,141 +7.73
450–485 465 7 450.00–470.00 $461.06 $2,144 +10.63
510–520 515 11 440.00–460.00 $451.01 $2,323 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–325 319 7 550.00–580.00 $567.49 $1,810 —
360–385 373 8 510.00–530.00 $520.34 $1,941 —
420–440 431 9 450.00–470.00 $461.34 $1,988 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–290 273 12 580.00–650.00 $617.25 $1,685 -3.50
305–330 318 19 580.00–630.00 $602.70 $1,917 +12.39
355–375 364 11 520.00–550.00 $534.04 $1,944 +7.69
410–425 418 9 455.00–490.00 $474.75 $1,984 +19.39
455–490 473 10 435.00–475.00 $454.26 $2,149 +18.87
505–530 516 7 410.00–440.00 $426.79 $2,202 +16.59
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 269 7 540.00–570.00 $552.45 $1,486 -8.64
315–340 328 8 515.00–570.00 $541.45 $1,776 +0.66
355–385 370 12 470.00–500.00 $485.61 $1,797 +10.10
410–435 423 12 425.00–445.00 $434.70 $1,839 +14.58
455–485 472 7 410.00–425.00 $416.20 $1,964 +9.20
510–540 525 8 370.00–390.00 $380.29 $1,997 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–330 321 7 450.00–500.00 $479.33 $1,539 —
355–385 368 7 430.00–460.00 $446.54 $1,643 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055–1180 1138 80-85% 33 160.00–172.00 $168.29 $1,915 —
1185–1220 1204 80-85% 36 175.00–180.00 $176.42 $2,124 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1180 1127 85-90% 18 160.00–172.00 $166.51 $1,877 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1865 1582 3 202.00–216.00 $209.33 $3,312 —
1810–1855 1825 3 224.00–232.00 $229.29 $4,185 —

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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.