Cattle Market Pulse

Columbia Livestock Auction Market Report

Lake City, Florida · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 18, 2026

531 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Columbia Livestock Auction report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $488.52/cwt ≈ $2,291/hd at 469 lb · 26 head
light 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $640.46/cwt +46.79 vs last sale · ≈ $2,088/hd at 326 lb · 24 head
light 3-weight M&L 2 bulls $543.20/cwt -3.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,787/hd at 329 lb · 18 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 531 422 622
Feeder cattle 407 300 500
Slaughter cattle 62 62 57
Replacement cattle 62 60 65

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Feeder cattle steady. Feeder and replacement cows' steady.

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
260–285 273 4 590.00–620.00 $605.69 $1,654 —
310–340 329 8 530.00–570.00 $555.86 $1,829 +10.67
360–385 373 6 450.00–510.00 $481.01 $1,794 -14.16
405–440 423 8 450.00–510.00 $481.24 $2,036 —
455–485 470 8 440.00–470.00 $455.48 $2,141 —
520–540 533 3 435.00–445.00 $441.75 $2,355 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–385 373 2 550.00–600.00 $575.84 $2,148 -44.52
455–485 469 26 465.00–510.00 $488.52 $2,291 —
505–540 514 8 465.00–485.00 $479.74 $2,466 +17.16

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 328 8 560.00–590.00 $575.80 $1,889 +44.65
360–395 382 9 480.00–500.00 $486.81 $1,860 -14.20
405–440 421 11 490.00–530.00 $509.01 $2,143 +34.46
455–485 469 17 470.00–490.00 $479.73 $2,250 +19.31
520–540 530 6 440.00–490.00 $465.47 $2,467 +69.88
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260–275 266 5 530.00–570.00 $553.46 $1,472 +41.63
320–345 333 4 470.00–515.00 $493.35 $1,643 +17.54
360–385 373 4 400.00–450.00 $425.84 $1,588 —
420–440 438 17 410.00–445.00 $413.95 $1,813 +33.07
460–485 477 3 410.00–445.00 $433.74 $2,069 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 326 24 630.00–650.00 $640.46 $2,088 +46.79
355–385 367 5 570.00–595.00 $580.49 $2,130 -0.05
405–435 420 12 500.00–510.00 $505.18 $2,122 -18.74
460–485 473 10 490.00–500.00 $495.13 $2,342 +21.05
505–545 525 4 455.00–470.00 $462.79 $2,430 —
565–585 575 4 360.00–375.00 $367.63 $2,114 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 275 6 540.00–600.00 $571.09 $1,570 —
305–345 329 18 520.00–560.00 $543.20 $1,787 -3.57
410–435 423 4 440.00–470.00 $455.44 $1,927 -11.33
460–485 471 7 440.00–470.00 $461.62 $2,174 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1295 1234 80-85% 17 178.00–187.00 $183.00 $2,258 +6.13
1265–1305 1285 80-85% 6 193.00–198.00 $195.54 $2,513 +5.49
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1240 1173 85-90% 16 164.00–174.00 $169.29 $1,986 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1585 1496 75-80% 9 179.00–186.00 $183.12 $2,739 —
1555–1605 1576 75-80% 7 198.00–209.00 $202.80 $3,196 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1485–1885 1685 6 197.00–215.00 $207.07 $3,489 —
1975 1975 2 228.00 $228.00 $4,503 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
910–1125 1018 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 295.00–335.00 $312.89 $3,185
1055–1255 1141 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 21 225.00–275.00 $248.58 $2,836

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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
1065–1185 1134 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 7 3,800.00–3,900.00 $3,859.74 —

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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.