light 4-weight M&L 1 steers$188.82/cwt-14.25 vs last sale · ≈ $808/hd at 428 lb · 427 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$168.34/cwt-9.46 vs last sale · ≈ $895/hd at 532 lb · 352 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 heifers$168.83/cwt-8.48 vs last sale · ≈ $643/hd at 381 lb · 303 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
5,081
3,859
1,456
Feeder cattle
3,218
2,481
1,156
Slaughter cattle
1,204
895
178
Replacement cattle
659
483
122
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Yearling steers were scarcely traded this week thus no trend is available. Steer calves under 400 lbs sold sharply lower. Steer calves over 400 lbs sold mostly 8.00-12.00 lower. Yearling heifers were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noticed on heifers under 950 lbs and steady to firm undertones were noticed over 950 lbs. Yearling quality was plain to average, with most offerings sold in small groups or as singles. Calf quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive. Quality overall was similar to last week with many long strings and load lots of calves on offer. Demand for calves was mostly light to moderate for calves and mostly moderate for yearlings. Vaccinations were critical for buyers this week. Calves with two rounds of preconditioning shots often sold with a 10.00-15.00 premium to calves with only only spring shots. This led to wide price spreads in places. Buyers in the corn-belt are busy with harvest which hampered calf demand. Local demand remains light as feed availability remains limited and weather conditions are expected to see large temperature swings this week. Weaned calves were left untagged and most of these offerings were weaned for 50 days or longer. Market activity this week was mostly slow. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand for heavy offerings. Packers continue to show need for cows for immediate harvest as lighter supplies are available to the packer due to dairy men and farmers being busy with harvest. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 higher on all classes. Feeding cows sold 2.00-3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold steady on a lower quality offering. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to 3.00 higher. Quality this week was average to attractive and similar to last week.
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: Yearling steers were scarcely traded this week thus no trend is available. Steer calves under 400 lbs sold sharply lower. Steer calves over 400 lbs sold mostly 8.00-12.00 lower. Yearling heifers were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noticed on heifers under 950 lbs and steady to firm undertones were noticed over 950 lbs. Yearling quality was plain to average, with most offerings sold in small groups or as singles. Calf quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive. Quality overall was similar to last week with many long strings and load lots of calves on offer. Demand for calves was mostly light to moderate for calves and mostly moderate for yearlings. Vaccinations were critical for buyers this week. Calves with two rounds of preconditioning shots often sold with a 10.00-15.00 premium to calves with only only spring shots. This led to wide price spreads in places. Buyers in the corn-belt are busy with harvest which hampered calf demand. Local demand remains light as feed availability remains limited and weather conditions are expected to see large temperature swings this week. Weaned calves were left untagged and most of these offerings were weaned for 50 days or longer. Market activity this week was mostly slow. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand for heavy offerings. Packers continue to show need for cows for immediate harvest as lighter supplies are available to the packer due to dairy men and farmers being busy with harvest. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 higher on all classes. Feeding cows sold 2.00-3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold steady on a lower quality offering. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to 3.00 higher. Quality this week was average to attractive and similar to last week.