Cattle Market Pulse

Empire Livestock Feeder and Replacement Cattle Sale Market Report

Bath, New York · USDA-reported Auction Livestock (Special)

Sale of Saturday, December 14, 2024

259 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Empire Livestock Feeder and Replacement Cattle Sale report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $284.51/cwt +29.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,613/hd at 567 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 259 398 327
Feeder cattle 196 350 268
Replacement cattle 63 48 59

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to November's sale 500-600lb feeder steers sold 30.00 to 35.00 higher. 600-700lb feeder steers sold 40.00 to 45.00 higher. 500-700lb feeder heifers sold 15.00 to 35.00 higher. Vaccinated feeder cattle brought a 10.00 to 30.00 dollar premium.

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
250 250 1 302.50 $302.50 $756 —
328 328 1 272.50 $272.50 $894 —
374 374 1 405.00 $405.00 $1,515 —
402–448 429 3 275.00–390.00 $312.63 $1,341 +20.13
452–468 455 6 315.00–352.00 $345.65 $1,573 +78.21
502–539 528 4 262.50–310.00 $280.82 $1,483 +36.05
557–583 567 10 267.50–315.00 $284.51 $1,613 +29.56
634–636 635 3 252.50–290.00 $277.53 $1,762 +42.53
679–698 686 6 250.00–307.00 $286.50 $1,965 +42.54
744 744 2 245.00 $245.00 $1,823 +18.00
824 824 1 212.50 $212.50 $1,751 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
382–390 386 2 242.50–250.00 $246.21 $950 -1.09
414–436 425 2 230.00–237.50 $233.85 $994 -2.38
458–496 477 2 205.00–232.50 $219.30 $1,046 -9.12
554–586 575 3 230.00–255.00 $244.83 $1,408 +15.08
602–636 619 2 200.00–205.00 $202.57 $1,254 +20.07
776 776 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,242 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
338 338 1 275.00 $275.00 $930 —
364–396 386 7 255.00–335.00 $294.40 $1,136 +31.94
434 434 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,215 +50.42
460–494 479 5 237.50–285.00 $249.69 $1,196 +11.35
504–542 522 3 225.00–287.00 $244.95 $1,279 +12.33
556 556 3 255.00 $255.00 $1,418 +36.86
604–646 625 6 207.50–245.00 $223.32 $1,396 +15.51
670–672 671 2 245.00–247.50 $246.25 $1,652 +34.61
700–732 716 4 180.00–207.50 $190.80 $1,366 -9.20
762–788 775 2 177.50–185.00 $181.31 $1,405 -13.18
854–898 876 2 185.00 $185.00 $1,621 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
282 282 1 245.00 $245.00 $691 +55.00
312–338 327 3 195.00–230.00 $207.81 $680 -13.02
384–386 385 2 190.00–240.00 $215.06 $828 +21.61
430–442 437 3 195.00–210.00 $201.66 $881 -7.82
490–496 493 2 195.00–205.00 $199.97 $986 -0.04
500–540 516 3 175.00–202.50 $185.52 $957 -25.86
580 580 1 217.50 $217.50 $1,262 +10.59
650–676 663 2 180.00–192.50 $186.13 $1,234 —
726–746 736 2 140.00 $140.00 $1,030 -40.05
772 772 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,158 -16.35

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
358–388 378 5 265.00–332.50 $308.88 $1,168 +55.19
442 442 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,149 —
450–476 465 6 260.00–320.00 $296.13 $1,377 —
578–594 589 3 247.50–260.00 $255.91 $1,507 +11.86
664–670 667 2 227.50–232.50 $230.01 $1,534 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
276 276 1 250.00 $250.00 $690 -32.50
362–384 373 2 200.00–220.00 $210.29 $784 —
430–436 433 2 225.00–252.50 $238.65 $1,033 +24.44
480 480 1 227.50 $227.50 $1,092 —
576 576 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,296 —
620 620 1 187.50 $187.50 $1,162 —
894 894 1 169.00 $169.00 $1,511 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1414 1244 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)N/A 8 128.00–147.00 $138.19 $1,719 +9.83

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
772–1098 951 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 71.00–106.00 $90.66 $862
Small 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
726–894 804 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 100.00–205.00 $154.23 $1,240

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
912 912 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
918–1232 1087 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,300.00–1,750.00 $1,494.82
972–2000 1357 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 19 1,000.00–2,400.00 $1,920.01
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
760–988 868 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 1,650.00–2,900.00 $2,419.54

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
864–1134 961 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 10 1,400.00–2,500.00 $2,033.49

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
344 344 1 280.00 $280.00 $963 —
460 460 1 145.00 $145.00 $667 —
828 828 1 140.00 $140.00 $1,159 —
880 880 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,364 —
914–926 920 2 132.50–140.00 $136.27 $1,254 —

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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.