Cattle Market Pulse

Meridian Stockyard Market Report

Meridian, Mississippi · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, March 18, 2024

80 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 80 338 396
Feeder cattle 52 302 356
Slaughter cattle 28 24 40
Replacement cattle — 12 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Good day, had a very lite run of cattle today, but the market was strong on calves and slaughter cattle that were sold.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 328 2 282.00–371.00 $324.12 $1,063 —
385 385 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,463 +19.86
430 430 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,290 -25.00
495 495 1 311.00 $311.00 $1,539 -30.53
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 400.00 $400.00 $1,120 —
365–390 378 2 390.00–393.00 $391.55 $1,480 +22.15
500 500 1 311.00 $311.00 $1,555 -22.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,026 +15.00
300–305 303 2 348.00–350.00 $348.99 $1,057 +8.99
380 380 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,254 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 302.00 $302.00 $830 -0.84
365–370 368 2 304.00–306.00 $305.01 $1,122 —
425 425 1 293.00 $293.00 $1,245 +15.40
510–525 518 2 260.00–270.00 $264.93 $1,372 +12.44
1050 1050 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,995 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 1 288.00 $288.00 $662 —
255 255 1 291.00 $291.00 $742 —
375–385 378 4 270.00–285.00 $279.78 $1,058 -0.72
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,162 +16.00
495 495 1 273.00 $273.00 $1,351 +3.30
875 875 1 183.00 $183.00 $1,601 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
510–515 513 2 290.00–311.00 $300.45 $1,541 +4.96
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 301.00 $301.00 $1,234 +21.00
495 495 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,485 +10.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,411 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820–875 848 85-90% 2 71.00–74.00 $72.55 $615 —
890–1380 1125 85-90% 4 110.00–114.00 $111.68 $1,256 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1455 1202 80-85% 5 120.00–126.50 $123.82 $1,488 -0.32
1230 1230 80-85% 1 137.00 $137.00 $1,685 +12.86

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1575–1725 1645 4 143.00–147.00 $144.80 $2,382 —
1825–2020 1923 2 152.50–155.00 $153.69 $2,955 —

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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.