light 8-weight M&L 1 steers$265.76/cwt≈ $2,193/hd at 825 lb · 406 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers$266.38/cwt≈ $2,318/hd at 870 lb · 362 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers$255.56/cwt≈ $1,958/hd at 766 lb · 337 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
4,725
4,125
3,934
Feeder cattle
4,373
2,216
2,122
Slaughter cattle
352
1,909
1,812
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle too lightly tested a week ago to offer a comparison with this week's much larger offering. Demand remains very good for yearling steers and heifers as cash fed cattle continue to set new, all-time high record prices. Good demand for the packages of fall born, light weight calves too as there is such great optimism amongst cattle producers, theses light cattle have a lot of marketing options and are highly sought after. Devastating flooding in northern and NW Iowa last week, and now SW Iowa being affected by the flooding Missouri river after the 10-15 rains in SD and NW IA.
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.
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle too lightly tested a week ago to offer a comparison with this week's much larger offering. Demand remains very good for yearling steers and heifers as cash fed cattle continue to set new, all-time high record prices. Good demand for the packages of fall born, light weight calves too as there is such great optimism amongst cattle producers, theses light cattle have a lot of marketing options and are highly sought after. Devastating flooding in northern and NW Iowa last week, and now SW Iowa being affected by the flooding Missouri river after the 10-15 rains in SD and NW IA.