Cattle Market Pulse

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Market Report

Belen, New Mexico · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, September 17, 2021

745 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $164.18/cwt -15.03 vs last sale · ≈ $860/hd at 524 lb · 30 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $136.47/cwt ≈ $722/hd at 529 lb · 24 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $146.62/cwt -16.51 vs last sale · ≈ $685/hd at 467 lb · 16 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 745 749 1,142
Feeder cattle 555 556 763
Slaughter cattle 123 125 220
Replacement cattle 67 68 159

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: No accurate comparison on steer and heifer calves or feeders but a lower undertone noted. Quality and weighing conditions not as attractive. Slaughter cows steady, bulls 1.00 higher. Trade moderate to active, demand moderate to good.

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
223–230 225 3 200.00 $200.00 $450 -18.64
270 270 1 206.00 $206.00 $556 -10.48
325–340 333 4 180.00–185.00 $181.22 $603 -36.65
355–390 367 8 184.00–197.00 $194.39 $713 -25.24
410–430 420 2 187.00–190.00 $188.54 $792 -23.44
455–494 486 12 177.00–184.00 $178.58 $868 -10.34
500–548 522 27 159.00–170.00 $165.53 $864 -12.49
538 unweaned 538 3 152.00 $152.00 $818 —
553–565 559 5 157.00–169.50 $163.65 $915 -2.02
608 unweaned 608 2 135.00 $135.00 $821 —
608–620 611 5 147.00–150.00 $148.01 $904 -16.99
655 unweaned 655 2 143.50 $143.50 $940 —
715 715 1 136.00 $136.00 $972 -4.00
755–775 765 2 127.00–137.00 $132.07 $1,010 —
838 838 2 123.00 $123.00 $1,031 —
875 875 1 124.00 $124.00 $1,085 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
273–289 283 11 180.00–200.00 $187.01 $529 +17.06
348 348 2 185.00 $185.00 $644 -6.56
368–393 379 7 180.00–191.00 $184.89 $701 +6.47
428–445 440 7 176.00–190.00 $179.89 $792 +3.85
458 unweaned 458 4 165.00 $165.00 $756 —
463–473 469 5 169.00–172.50 $171.12 $803 ±0.00
536–545 540 9 155.00–166.00 $158.14 $854 +0.91
540 unweaned 540 4 153.50 $153.50 $829 —
550 550 3 159.00 $159.00 $874 +4.49
579 unweaned 579 5 146.50 $146.50 $848 —
630 630 3 154.00 $154.00 $970 +4.18
718 718 3 125.00 $125.00 $898 -4.00
770 770 2 122.00 $122.00 $939 -7.00
828 828 2 121.00 $121.00 $1,002 -4.94
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
542 542 3 141.00 $141.00 $764 +5.56

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
357–390 379 9 154.00–156.00 $154.63 $586 -9.26
422–440 425 11 147.00–149.50 $149.03 $633 -10.97
435 unweaned 435 2 134.00 $134.00 $583 —
466–467 467 16 146.50–147.00 $146.62 $685 -16.51
515–535 529 24 135.00–140.00 $136.47 $722 —
570 570 2 133.00 $133.00 $758 -17.00
608 unweaned 608 2 135.00 $135.00 $821 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 2 160.00 $160.00 $416 +8.26
404–448 unweaned 414 9 131.00–141.00 $138.59 $574 —
405–420 416 7 147.00–153.00 $151.33 $630 -0.91
485 485 4 140.00 $140.00 $679 -6.64
505 505 2 140.00 $140.00 $707 -9.90
575–590 584 5 130.00–135.00 $131.97 $771 -9.28
628 628 4 137.00 $137.00 $860 +1.46
658 658 2 136.00 $136.00 $895 +3.05
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
322 322 7 130.00 $130.00 $419 -0.36
578 578 2 119.00 $119.00 $688 -12.49

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
548 548 2 120.00 $120.00 $658 —
620 620 2 140.00–145.00 $142.50 $884 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 2 160.00 $160.00 $496 —
648 648 2 125.00 $125.00 $810 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
725–880 830 85-90% 4 20.00–31.00 $24.82 $206 -14.73
835 835 85-90% 1 35.00 $35.00 $292 -4.55
790–1165 911 85-90% 5 39.00–50.00 $43.30 $394 -3.56
785–1155 974 85-90% 12 39.00–53.00 $46.96 $457 —
860–1590 1087 85-90% 21 54.00–68.50 $60.09 $653 -3.14
1190 1190 85-90% 1 56.00 $56.00 $666 —
1098–1330 1214 85-90% 2 71.50–72.00 $71.73 $871 +10.73
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–1435 1136 80-85% 6 50.00–63.50 $60.47 $687 -10.09
1080–1405 1191 80-85% 16 65.00–75.00 $70.28 $837 —
1100–1390 1245 80-85% 2 76.00–77.00 $76.44 $952 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145 1145 75-80% 1 75.00 $75.00 $859 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–1525 1265 4 72.50–79.00 $74.08 $937 —
1120–1530 1301 5 68.00–79.00 $72.22 $940 —
1385–1755 1600 11 81.00–94.00 $87.62 $1,402 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
700 700 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 710.00 $710.00
750 750 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
850–1150 980 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 825.00–925.00 $895.00
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
575 575 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 450.00 $450.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
750–1050 900 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 875.00–1,000.00 $937.50 —
950 950 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 925.00 $925.00 —
900–1150 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 6 860.00–1,200.00 $1,055.83 —
Small 2-3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
750 750 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 710.00 $710.00 —
900 900 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 710.00 $710.00 —

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Heifer Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
700 700 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 3 925.00–970.00 $940.00 —

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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.