Not many weaned calves coming to town this time of year - higher ratio of milk fat, bawling calves, which in this heat, are not very desirable. Compared to last week, 5-7 weight steers were $5-$8/cwt cheaper; lighter steers and heifers were steady. Not enough take home kind of breds and pairs to test the market.
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.
Not many weaned calves coming to town this time of year - higher ratio of milk fat, bawling calves, which in this heat, are not very desirable. Compared to last week, 5-7 weight steers were $5-$8/cwt cheaper; lighter steers and heifers were steady. Not enough take home kind of breds and pairs to test the market.