Cattle Market Pulse

Meridian Stockyard Market Report

Meridian, Mississippi · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 18, 2023

574 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Meridian Stockyard report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $231.32/cwt ≈ $1,316/hd at 569 lb · 123 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $240.00/cwt ≈ $1,154/hd at 481 lb · 105 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $285.00/cwt ≈ $1,094/hd at 384 lb · 82 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 574 577 383
Feeder cattle 527 329 218
Slaughter cattle 43 77 46
Replacement cattle 4 171 119

Market comments — USDA reporter

Good day, as compared to the last market feeder calves were 5-7 higher and slaughter cattle 2-3 higher. Sold two loads of black hided heifers load one average weight 481lbs. 105 head brought $ 2.3950. Load two was 88 head average weight 574 lbs. @ $ 2.3150. Also sold 82 black hided heifers 384 lb. average @ $2.85. $1094.40 per head. Don't forget no sales for the next two weeks, next sale January 8. Have a merry Christmas.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 303.00 $303.00 $848 +2.66
350–380 365 3 290.00–300.00 $295.07 $1,077 +5.07
405–440 421 4 270.00–280.00 $276.11 $1,162 -3.89
505–515 514 13 255.00–259.00 $255.30 $1,312 +16.27
616 616 7 234.00 $234.00 $1,441 +24.14
716 716 26 208.00 $208.00 $1,489 —
752 752 6 210.00 $210.00 $1,579 —
890 890 2 185.00 $185.00 $1,646 —
936 936 3 189.00 $189.00 $1,769 —
1015 1015 2 176.00 $176.00 $1,786 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–375 362 3 278.00–288.00 $282.12 $1,021 +2.12
415 415 2 255.00–263.00 $259.00 $1,075 +1.00
515 515 1 237.00 $237.00 $1,221 +16.82
550–584 579 7 240.00 $240.00 $1,390 +11.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–485 473 3 243.00–250.00 $246.24 $1,165 -6.70

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
384 384 82 285.00 $285.00 $1,094 —
481 481 105 240.00 $240.00 $1,154 —
554–574 569 123 229.00–232.00 $231.32 $1,316 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 245.00 $245.00 $870 +4.35
405–410 408 2 225.00–228.00 $226.49 $924 -11.51
490–491 491 9 222.00–236.00 $234.45 $1,151 +4.47
505–515 510 2 190.00–204.00 $197.07 $1,005 -1.93
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 256.00 $256.00 $781 +5.68
355–390 373 2 250.00–258.00 $254.19 $948 +7.68
415–435 425 3 240.00–248.00 $245.33 $1,043 -1.29
520 520 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,118 +1.16
560 560 1 213.00 $213.00 $1,193 -2.00
610–620 613 3 215.00–220.00 $218.32 $1,338 +21.32
705 705 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,480 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 230.00 $230.00 $840 ±0.00
430 430 1 215.00 $215.00 $924 -6.50
470–495 485 5 209.00–219.00 $213.64 $1,036 —
580 580 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,073 —
726 726 4 185.00 $185.00 $1,343 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–420 415 2 245.00–250.00 $247.47 $1,027 +3.40
480–495 488 2 245.00–249.00 $246.97 $1,205 +1.97
505 505 1 222.00 $222.00 $1,121 +5.51
635–640 638 2 180.00–182.00 $181.00 $1,155 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 263.00 $263.00 $1,170 +7.91
525 525 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,339 +22.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
570 570 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,168 —
780 780 1 154.00 $154.00 $1,201 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–1045 973 85-90% 4 56.00–64.00 $59.39 $578 —
945–1100 1030 85-90% 5 78.50–85.50 $81.56 $840 +0.48
1030–1110 1070 85-90% 2 70.00–77.00 $73.37 $785 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
975–1145 1050 80-85% 4 86.50–88.50 $87.48 $919 —
1130 1130 80-85% 1 98.00 $98.00 $1,107 —
1120–1480 1303 80-85% 5 89.00–92.50 $90.76 $1,183 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1305 1238 75-80% 3 83.50–87.50 $85.20 $1,055 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1575 1575 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,654 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1035–1055 1045 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 970.00–1,000.00 $985.14

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

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.