Cattle Market Pulse

Meridian Stockyard Market Report

Meridian, Mississippi · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 18, 2026

408 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 408 196 330
Feeder cattle 232 163 266
Slaughter cattle 29 17 47
Replacement cattle 147 16 17

Market comments — USDA reporter

As compared to the last market: Feeder calves sold steady, and the lighter calves sold 5.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold a little higher. Sold some good black stock cows, a sell out, bred cows light bred 5-7 year old brought $3500-4300, and pairs same age some three in ones $4800-5950.

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
325–340 333 2 630.00–640.00 $634.89 $2,114 —
350–365 358 2 615.00–620.00 $617.45 $2,210 +9.03
400–440 418 4 570.00–600.00 $583.37 $2,438 +23.13
550–565 558 2 440.00–450.00 $444.93 $2,483 —
605–640 615 5 420.00–430.00 $426.94 $2,626 +16.94
705 705 1 420.00 $420.00 $2,961 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380 380 1 560.00 $560.00 $2,128 —
450–495 473 6 475.00–510.00 $487.37 $2,305 +13.88
585–590 588 2 400.00–410.00 $404.98 $2,381 —
660–695 678 2 350.00–365.00 $357.31 $2,423 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–395 373 4 590.00–610.00 $598.62 $2,233 +8.62
440 440 1 565.00 $565.00 $2,486 +50.00
659 659 5 389.00 $389.00 $2,564 -5.28
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
547 547 2 435.00 $435.00 $2,379 —
584 584 7 415.00 $415.00 $2,424 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 510.00 $510.00 $1,479 —
305–345 325 2 490.00–500.00 $494.69 $1,608 -15.31
450–460 455 2 460.00–470.00 $465.05 $2,116 +15.05
535–540 538 2 435.00–450.00 $442.47 $2,380 +51.97
605–645 628 3 390.00–408.00 $399.49 $2,509 +51.49
715 715 2 332.00 $332.00 $2,374 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
530 530 6 400.00 $400.00 $2,120 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 475.00 $475.00 $1,615 —
365 365 1 460.00 $460.00 $1,679 -5.00
495 495 1 433.00 $433.00 $2,143 -1.59
520–540 530 2 415.00–418.00 $416.53 $2,208 +36.53
565 565 1 413.00 $413.00 $2,333 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–390 373 2 425.00–450.00 $436.91 $1,630 —
520 520 1 400.00 $400.00 $2,080 —
595 595 1 395.00 $395.00 $2,350 +20.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 535.00 $535.00 $2,381 +55.00
450 450 1 500.00 $500.00 $2,250 —
600–610 606 4 405.00–445.00 $421.27 $2,553 —
770 770 1 333.00 $333.00 $2,564 —
835 835 1 328.00 $328.00 $2,739 +28.00
885 885 1 318.00 $318.00 $2,814 —
920 920 1 303.00 $303.00 $2,788 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–445 433 2 485.00–495.00 $490.14 $2,122 —
690 690 1 375.00 $375.00 $2,588 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470–475 473 2 455.00–475.00 $464.95 $2,199 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1090–1215 1160 80-85% 3 178.00–180.00 $178.99 $2,076 —
1245–1380 1287 80-85% 5 185.00–194.00 $188.93 $2,432 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–960 952 85-90% 3 126.00–135.00 $130.33 $1,241 —
980–1080 1030 85-90% 2 156.00–160.00 $157.90 $1,626 —
1010–1150 1080 85-90% 2 165.00–174.00 $169.79 $1,834 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1595 1595 75-80% 1 179.00 $179.00 $2,855 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1635 1635 1 211.00 $211.00 $3,450 +15.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
940–1200 1070 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 3,750.00–4,000.00 $3,890.19
1065–1215 1117 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 3 3,850.00–4,300.00 $4,009.03
1160 1160 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 1 4,050.00 $4,050.00
1080–1255 1177 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 3,400.00–4,250.00 $3,931.66

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
780 780 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 3,500.00 $3,500.00
1025 1025 (<2 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 3 4,000.00 $4,000.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1040 1040 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 2 5,600.00 $5,600.00 +2,100.00
1350–1445 1398 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 6 4,800.00–5,800.00 $5,328.49 —
1400 1400 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 5,950.00 $5,950.00 —
1450 1450 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 2 5,500.00 $5,500.00 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1150 1150 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 4,500.00 $4,500.00 —

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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.