light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$172.70/cwt+6.81 vs last sale · ≈ $891/hd at 516 lb · 245 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$165.28/cwt+3.84 vs last sale · ≈ $927/hd at 561 lb · 175 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers$156.07/cwt-4.99 vs last sale · ≈ $744/hd at 477 lb · 154 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
5,177
6,079
4,217
Feeder cattle
2,345
4,147
3,254
Slaughter cattle
2,028
1,437
843
Replacement cattle
804
495
120
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for yearlings was moderate on an average to attractive quality offering. Steer calves under 400 lbs sold uneven in a narrow comparison. 400-599 lbs steers sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher. Steers over 600 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, lower undertones were noticed. Heifer calves under 400 lbs sold sharply lower, with most sales 10.00-20.00 lower, 400 lbs and heavier sold mostly steady to 6.00 lower. Quality this week was average to attractive on a lighter offering than was seen last week. Demand for cattle was stronger to start the sale as most offerings traded higher than last week. Price spreads remained very large as calves with 2 rounds of vaccinations sold with the best demand. Rain in the upper plains and corn belt also put some pressure on the market as some buyers were not willing to take calves due to weather. Transportation continues to be a huge burden on the market as buyers remain strapped for trucks and most will not buy calves without wheels to put under them. Buyers continued the same buying pattern as last week. Mostly buying front end calves, especially ones with two rounds of vaccinations and passed or discounted average quality calves or calves with only spring shots. Heavy discounts continue to be seen on plain or average quality cattle. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows comprised a large portion of the sale as over 2600 cows were on offer. Demand for cows was mostly moderate despite very heavy offerings. Feeding buyers led the market this week as buyers pushed offerings higher. Very thin offerings were in very good demand as these offerings offered lots of compensatory gain. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold steady to firm on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Many sets of cows were purchased to turn out on corn stalks or put on a holding ration until the market improves. The majority of cows this week were purchased to feed. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend. Feeding bull prices were generally steady this week. Most bulls sold as feeding bulls this week as both packers and feeding bull buyers both purchased bulls for this purpose. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. Demand for 2 year old heifers was mostly good this week as buyers showed optimism in the feeding market. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive and slightly higher than 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 and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for yearlings was moderate on an average to attractive quality offering. Steer calves under 400 lbs sold uneven in a narrow comparison. 400-599 lbs steers sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher. Steers over 600 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, lower undertones were noticed. Heifer calves under 400 lbs sold sharply lower, with most sales 10.00-20.00 lower, 400 lbs and heavier sold mostly steady to 6.00 lower. Quality this week was average to attractive on a lighter offering than was seen last week. Demand for cattle was stronger to start the sale as most offerings traded higher than last week. Price spreads remained very large as calves with 2 rounds of vaccinations sold with the best demand. Rain in the upper plains and corn belt also put some pressure on the market as some buyers were not willing to take calves due to weather. Transportation continues to be a huge burden on the market as buyers remain strapped for trucks and most will not buy calves without wheels to put under them. Buyers continued the same buying pattern as last week. Mostly buying front end calves, especially ones with two rounds of vaccinations and passed or discounted average quality calves or calves with only spring shots. Heavy discounts continue to be seen on plain or average quality cattle. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows comprised a large portion of the sale as over 2600 cows were on offer. Demand for cows was mostly moderate despite very heavy offerings. Feeding buyers led the market this week as buyers pushed offerings higher. Very thin offerings were in very good demand as these offerings offered lots of compensatory gain. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold steady to firm on boning and lean cows. Breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Many sets of cows were purchased to turn out on corn stalks or put on a holding ration until the market improves. The majority of cows this week were purchased to feed. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend. Feeding bull prices were generally steady this week. Most bulls sold as feeding bulls this week as both packers and feeding bull buyers both purchased bulls for this purpose. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady. Demand for 2 year old heifers was mostly good this week as buyers showed optimism in the feeding market. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive and slightly higher than last week.