light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$238.04/cwt-17.04 vs last sale · ≈ $1,235/hd at 519 lb · 74 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$274.55/cwt-17.91 vs last sale · ≈ $1,473/hd at 537 lb · 56 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers$274.35/cwt-40.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,320/hd at 481 lb · 44 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
890
2,255
2,024
Feeder cattle
713
2,154
1,851
Slaughter cattle
177
101
173
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to the last sale two weeks ago, steers and heifers sold 10.00 to 15.00 lower as the local trade caught up to the sharp downturn the feeder market took last week. Slaughter cows 1.00 to 2.00 lower. Quality was up and down ahead of next week's two Thanksgiving Special Sales. Very few of the cattle on offer were long time weaned, however, health history continues to be more important than weaned status. Really the only exception to the lower trend this week was some heifers weighing 450-475 lbs which actually traded with a higher undertone if they were of attractive quality and good condition. Supply and demand moderate.
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.
Cattle Market
Compared to the last sale two weeks ago, steers and heifers sold 10.00 to 15.00 lower as the local trade caught up to the sharp downturn the feeder market took last week. Slaughter cows 1.00 to 2.00 lower. Quality was up and down ahead of next week's two Thanksgiving Special Sales. Very few of the cattle on offer were long time weaned, however, health history continues to be more important than weaned status. Really the only exception to the lower trend this week was some heifers weighing 450-475 lbs which actually traded with a higher undertone if they were of attractive quality and good condition. Supply and demand moderate.