light 7-weight M&L 1 steers$401.82/cwt-10.56 vs last sale · ≈ $2,945/hd at 733 lb · 248 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers$380.64/cwt+4.76 vs last sale · ≈ $3,133/hd at 823 lb · 160 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$385.14/cwt+1.94 vs last sale · ≈ $2,600/hd at 675 lb · 146 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
2,502
5,515
0
Feeder cattle
2,385
5,515
0
Slaughter cattle
117
—
0
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week, steers over 650 lbs. sold 5.00-15.00 higher, steers under 550 lbs. sold with sharply higher undertones. The mid-weight steers weighting 550-650 lbs. and all weights of heifers sold firm to 5.00 higher, although comparisons were quite limited when looking at last week's much larger offering. Overall quality might not have been as deep as last week, but in many cases weight ups this week were favorable with enough quality mixed in and the market seemed to gain strength throughout the day. Last week's higher fed cattle trade and triple digit gains in the futures markets on Tuesday helped provide some confidence to buyers that wore their arms out waving cards today. March feeders closed the day up 4.82 at 370.97, which is still behind the cash index that is within cents of wiping out last Falls records and establishing new all-time highs. Calves have been on a terror ahead of grass and averages have been posting new highs nearly every week since the New Year began. The supply included near 10 loads of yearlings. Demand for all classes of cattle was good to very good.
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, steers over 650 lbs. sold 5.00-15.00 higher, steers under 550 lbs. sold with sharply higher undertones. The mid-weight steers weighting 550-650 lbs. and all weights of heifers sold firm to 5.00 higher, although comparisons were quite limited when looking at last week's much larger offering. Overall quality might not have been as deep as last week, but in many cases weight ups this week were favorable with enough quality mixed in and the market seemed to gain strength throughout the day. Last week's higher fed cattle trade and triple digit gains in the futures markets on Tuesday helped provide some confidence to buyers that wore their arms out waving cards today. March feeders closed the day up 4.82 at 370.97, which is still behind the cash index that is within cents of wiping out last Falls records and establishing new all-time highs. Calves have been on a terror ahead of grass and averages have been posting new highs nearly every week since the New Year began. The supply included near 10 loads of yearlings. Demand for all classes of cattle was good to very good.