Cattle Market Pulse

Farmers and Ranchers Livestock Commission Co. Market Report

Salina, Kansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 18, 2021

1,595 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Farmers and Ranchers Livestock Commission Co. report →

light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $129.00/cwt +3.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,195/hd at 926 lb · 236 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $131.94/cwt +3.02 vs last sale · ≈ $1,141/hd at 865 lb · 163 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $161.68/cwt -2.32 vs last sale · ≈ $993/hd at 614 lb · 126 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,595 3,417 616
Feeder cattle 1,595 3,417 616

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Thursday receipts were light due to much needed rain and demand was light to moderate. On a light test steers were 1.00 to 5.00 higher with the exception of 500 to 550 and 600 to 700 lb steers selling 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Heifers were steady to 5.00 higher with under 600 lbs not having enough comparable sales for a test.

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
313 313 15 191.00 $191.00 $598 —
374 374 11 182.00 $182.00 $681 —
463–466 464 14 179.50–185.00 $182.63 $847 +4.13
527–530 529 40 174.00–174.50 $174.36 $922 -3.50
563 563 6 178.00 $178.00 $1,002 +10.12
606–634 614 126 157.00–163.50 $161.68 $993 -2.32
656–659 658 48 146.00–156.00 $148.04 $974 -3.16
725–749 745 53 139.00–145.50 $142.46 $1,061 +2.26
792 792 17 138.75 $138.75 $1,099 +5.11
805–845 824 82 131.00–135.50 $133.12 $1,097 +1.73
857–875 865 163 127.00–134.50 $131.94 $1,141 +4.31
901 fancy 901 62 130.25 $130.25 $1,174 —
905–945 935 174 127.50–128.85 $128.55 $1,202 +2.71
971–986 981 85 124.25–126.50 $125.79 $1,234 +1.54
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
478–481 480 7 163.50–164.00 $163.71 $786 +11.71
567–589 580 7 156.00–158.00 $156.84 $910 +3.28
660–687 676 5 134.00–137.00 $135.17 $914 -8.60
796 796 24 126.00 $126.00 $1,003 —
883–899 884 71 123.50–125.50 $124.03 $1,096 —
900–943 935 11 117.00–122.75 $121.74 $1,138 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–487 469 6 145.00–150.00 $147.40 $691 -4.01
502–505 504 10 149.00–155.50 $153.56 $774 +2.47
590–592 591 7 141.00–144.00 $142.71 $843 -1.62
601–649 631 59 135.50–144.00 $137.81 $870 +2.78
677–692 687 18 127.50–135.00 $130.89 $899 +0.16
715–725 716 38 128.00–130.50 $129.80 $929 +2.47
754–778 770 106 128.00–134.25 $129.66 $998 +3.89
810–842 840 93 124.50–126.25 $126.02 $1,059 +4.08
869–880 872 20 124.00–130.00 $128.18 $1,118 +5.68
926 926 5 121.00 $121.00 $1,120 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
529 529 4 141.00 $141.00 $746 +8.95
637 637 5 133.00 $133.00 $847 +11.00
765–793 776 29 124.00–126.50 $124.21 $964 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1034 1034 6 111.50 $111.50 $1,153 +3.25
1254 1254 6 80.00 $80.00 $1,003 —

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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.