heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$139.37/cwt+10.37 vs last sale · ≈ $953/hd at 684 lb · 282 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers$143.46/cwt≈ $1,051/hd at 732 lb · 173 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers$147.21/cwt≈ $999/hd at 679 lb · 167 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
3,376
1,228
1,998
Feeder cattle
3,326
808
1,973
Slaughter cattle
—
100
—
Replacement cattle
50
320
25
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to the most accurate test from two weeks ago, as last weeks sale was light due to the holiday, steers and heifers sold steady to 4.00 lower with the decline on calves. It was the annual customer appreciation sale and the supply was heavy. Demand was mostly moderate but good in spots, mainly for the lighter fleshed yearlings. Several loads of yearlings and many groups of calves were on offer. With some colder weather over the last week, several of the calves off the cow have greened up but there were still several calves carrying plenty of flesh. Fed cattle have grudgingly worked slightly higher over the last few weeks, while boxed beef has made substantial gains and packers are once again seeing record profit margins. An additional 350 head of slaughter cows were not reported this week due to the heavy supply of feeder cattle.
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 most accurate test from two weeks ago, as last weeks sale was light due to the holiday, steers and heifers sold steady to 4.00 lower with the decline on calves. It was the annual customer appreciation sale and the supply was heavy. Demand was mostly moderate but good in spots, mainly for the lighter fleshed yearlings. Several loads of yearlings and many groups of calves were on offer. With some colder weather over the last week, several of the calves off the cow have greened up but there were still several calves carrying plenty of flesh. Fed cattle have grudgingly worked slightly higher over the last few weeks, while boxed beef has made substantial gains and packers are once again seeing record profit margins. An additional 350 head of slaughter cows were not reported this week due to the heavy supply of feeder cattle.