light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers$238.57/cwt-10.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,734/hd at 727 lb · 584 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers$243.58/cwt≈ $1,995/hd at 819 lb · 431 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers$259.10/cwt-5.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,897/hd at 732 lb · 235 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
3,620
782
2,560
Feeder cattle
3,482
642
2,190
Slaughter cattle
123
120
300
Replacement cattle
15
20
70
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to two weeks ago, based on light comparisons, steers sold steady to 5.00 lower and heifers sold weak to 7.00 lower. A yearling special featured over 20 straight loads of yearlings and the quality was attractive but with varying degrees of condition. Demand was moderate. Overall, the market has been trending lower and some of the optimism and excitement seen earlier in the summer has waned with some big down days on the board, cash fed cattle trading lower, and bigger imports of beef and large carcass weights have supplied more beef than what was anticipated for the year. However, the market is still historically high, cattle dollar up pretty well and there are ample supplies of feed available. Supply was heavy. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower.
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 two weeks ago, based on light comparisons, steers sold steady to 5.00 lower and heifers sold weak to 7.00 lower. A yearling special featured over 20 straight loads of yearlings and the quality was attractive but with varying degrees of condition. Demand was moderate. Overall, the market has been trending lower and some of the optimism and excitement seen earlier in the summer has waned with some big down days on the board, cash fed cattle trading lower, and bigger imports of beef and large carcass weights have supplied more beef than what was anticipated for the year. However, the market is still historically high, cattle dollar up pretty well and there are ample supplies of feed available. Supply was heavy. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower.