Cattle Market Pulse

Meridian Stockyard Market Report

Meridian, Mississippi · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 26, 2024

519 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $239.55/cwt ≈ $1,533/hd at 640 lb · 29 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $258.80/cwt ≈ $1,398/hd at 540 lb · 13 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $261.00/cwt +9.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,446/hd at 554 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 519 421 570
Feeder cattle 407 321 435
Slaughter cattle 82 19 95
Replacement cattle 30 81 40

Market comments — USDA reporter

Market compared to last week, Feeder calves were mixed and slaughter cattle were steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
390 390 3 292.50 $292.50 $1,141 —
424 424 6 290.00 $290.00 $1,230 —
477 477 6 274.00 $274.00 $1,307 —
527–546 540 13 254.00–270.00 $258.80 $1,398 —
554 554 12 261.00 $261.00 $1,446 —
640 640 29 229.00–247.00 $239.55 $1,533 —
650 650 5 238.00 $238.00 $1,547 —
790 790 5 208.50 $208.50 $1,647 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 1 285.00 $285.00 $955 -24.00
355–385 371 4 295.00–315.00 $306.34 $1,137 —
415 415 1 283.00 $283.00 $1,174 —
455–490 467 8 270.00–285.00 $276.22 $1,290 -7.76
520–540 533 3 240.00–250.00 $245.33 $1,308 —
550–565 556 4 240.00–250.00 $246.25 $1,369 -5.27
610 610 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,342 —
680–685 683 2 220.00–229.00 $224.52 $1,533 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235 235 1 327.50 $327.50 $770 —
265 265 1 322.50 $322.50 $855 -7.50
305–340 324 4 317.50–322.50 $319.30 $1,035 —
360–385 369 4 317.50–325.00 $322.43 $1,190 +0.45
420 420 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,260 -12.51
535–540 538 2 262.50–265.00 $263.74 $1,419 -9.26
565 565 2 265.00–267.50 $266.25 $1,504 +1.10
640 640 1 237.50 $237.50 $1,520 +2.50
685 685 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,610 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 340.00 $340.00 $1,088 +3.49

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–390 365 3 260.00–270.00 $264.37 $965 —
405–440 425 8 235.00–247.50 $239.16 $1,016 -16.67
480–493 489 10 232.00–238.00 $233.68 $1,143 -16.32
605–640 620 3 220.00–230.00 $223.25 $1,384 +15.77
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 6 270.00 $270.00 $1,080 —
547 547 9 227.50 $227.50 $1,244 —
650 650 2 212.50 $212.50 $1,381 —
760 760 2 197.00 $197.00 $1,497 -17.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370–390 378 3 240.00–250.00 $244.41 $924 -20.89
440 440 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,012 -17.49
460–495 479 9 220.00–232.50 $227.70 $1,091 -2.30
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230–245 238 2 280.00 $280.00 $666 —
385–395 390 2 284.00–290.00 $287.04 $1,119 -9.69
400–430 420 3 260.00–270.00 $265.00 $1,113 -3.45
670–690 683 3 252.50–278.00 $260.83 $1,781 +36.83

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
600–610 605 2 225.00–235.00 $230.04 $1,392 +8.04
670 670 1 216.00 $216.00 $1,447 —
815 815 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,548 —
945 945 1 182.50 $182.50 $1,725 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 242.50 $242.50 $982 -47.50
475 475 1 242.50 $242.50 $1,152 -41.50
505 505 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,212 -2.97
550–575 563 2 227.50–232.00 $229.70 $1,293 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1340 1176 80-85% 10 121.00–129.50 $127.22 $1,496 —
995–1740 1295 80-85% 21 130.00–139.00 $132.38 $1,714 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–995 940 85-90% 2 128.25–130.00 $129.18 $1,214 +2.12
915–1035 955 85-90% 3 114.00–119.00 $116.13 $1,109 +3.24

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080 1080 1 136.00 $136.00 $1,469 —
1615 1615 1 150.00 $150.00 $2,422 —
1650 1650 1 169.00 $169.00 $2,788 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
970 970 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 1,325.00 $1,325.00
870–1270 1066 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 7 925.00–1,700.00 $1,470.06
1370 1370 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,820.00 $1,820.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1285–1310 1298 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 1,800.00–2,350.00 $2,072.35 -377.65
1335 1335 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 1,600.00 $1,600.00 —
1380–1725 1537 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 1,950.00–2,650.00 $2,384.33 —

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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.