light 9-weight M&L 1 steers$232.13/cwt+3.76 vs last sale · ≈ $2,140/hd at 922 lb · 969 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers$257.06/cwt+5.81 vs last sale · ≈ $1,992/hd at 775 lb · 927 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers$240.88/cwt+6.95 vs last sale · ≈ $2,103/hd at 873 lb · 926 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
12,895
11,253
8,130
Feeder cattle
12,148
10,589
7,642
Slaughter cattle
568
634
457
Replacement cattle
179
30
31
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week, Feeder Steers and Heifers sold steady to 7.00 higher. Slaughter Cows, Breaker Cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. Boner and Lean Cows sold 5.00 lower. In the Hay Market, demand picked up a bit for the southwest and south-central regions and remained slow for the rest of the state. Grinding alfalfa prices remained mostly steady overall but did fall again in the southwest. Sellers are still looking to clean out their barns, while buyers are still in the driver's seat. Farmers are busy in the fields applying fertilizer and working the soil, getting ready for planting season. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor for February 27th, daily high temperatures reached into the 80s F some days in Kansas. Weekly temperatures averaged 10 to 20 degrees above normal across most of the region, increasing evapotranspiration (ET). The above normal ET had little effect on vegetation, as vegetation is still dormant, but soil temperatures were well above freezing in southern parts of the region and the high ET helped to dry soils. Abnormally dry conditions expanded in eastern Kansas where recent precipitation has been low and soils were drying.
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 last week, Feeder Steers and Heifers sold steady to 7.00 higher. Slaughter Cows, Breaker Cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. Boner and Lean Cows sold 5.00 lower. In the Hay Market, demand picked up a bit for the southwest and south-central regions and remained slow for the rest of the state. Grinding alfalfa prices remained mostly steady overall but did fall again in the southwest. Sellers are still looking to clean out their barns, while buyers are still in the driver's seat. Farmers are busy in the fields applying fertilizer and working the soil, getting ready for planting season. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor for February 27th, daily high temperatures reached into the 80s F some days in Kansas. Weekly temperatures averaged 10 to 20 degrees above normal across most of the region, increasing evapotranspiration (ET). The above normal ET had little effect on vegetation, as vegetation is still dormant, but soil temperatures were well above freezing in southern parts of the region and the high ET helped to dry soils. Abnormally dry conditions expanded in eastern Kansas where recent precipitation has been low and soils were drying.