Cattle Market Pulse

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Market Report

Lakeland, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 12, 2026

335 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 2 steers $570.57/cwt +10.37 vs last sale · ≈ $2,123/hd at 372 lb · 13 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $555.59/cwt +13.61 vs last sale · ≈ $2,361/hd at 425 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 335 323 385
Feeder cattle 281 291 340
Slaughter cattle 54 32 45

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cows 1.00 to 2.00 lower, slaughter bulls mostly steady. Feeder steers, bulls, and heifers 2.00 to 6.00 higher.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–265 257 9 620.00–680.00 $652.47 $1,677 +34.12
310–335 324 9 600.00–635.00 $614.89 $1,992 +11.42
365–380 372 13 560.00–580.00 $570.57 $2,123 +10.37
405–440 421 9 480.00–520.00 $498.60 $2,099 +8.19
450–480 465 8 440.00–480.00 $459.35 $2,136 +0.46
525–540 533 8 425.00–450.00 $437.32 $2,331 -41.21
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–335 320 8 650.00–700.00 $676.17 $2,164 +25.70
355–390 375 7 590.00–620.00 $602.17 $2,258 -1.09
415–435 425 10 530.00–580.00 $555.59 $2,361 +13.61
455–485 470 6 500.00–525.00 $512.10 $2,407 +17.74
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 370 6 510.00–540.00 $525.41 $1,944 +9.81
410–425 419 7 440.00–470.00 $457.41 $1,917 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–290 279 9 600.00–630.00 $617.33 $1,722 -14.05
305–320 313 8 560.00–610.00 $584.40 $1,829 +15.15
360–380 370 8 515.00–540.00 $527.84 $1,953 -2.80
410–435 421 9 470.00–500.00 $483.77 $2,037 +7.97
455–470 464 7 440.00–480.00 $463.17 $2,149 +8.48
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–320 315 8 510.00–550.00 $530.32 $1,671 +3.41
350–380 365 8 470.00–500.00 $484.38 $1,768 -9.26
410–425 418 6 440.00–460.00 $450.18 $1,882 +13.48
460–485 473 6 410.00–430.00 $420.26 $1,988 +1.95
510–525 518 6 380.00–400.00 $389.86 $2,019 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1205 1076 80-85% 16 170.00–177.00 $174.34 $1,876 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1185 1046 85-90% 12 163.00–173.00 $167.06 $1,747 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1800 1553 3 191.00–200.00 $195.14 $3,031 -12.48
1510–1750 1637 3 204.00–218.00 $210.80 $3,451 —

↑ Back to top

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.