light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$155.65/cwt+3.47 vs last sale · ≈ $802/hd at 515 lb · 308 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$171.25/cwt+5.97 vs last sale · ≈ $977/hd at 571 lb · 226 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers$151.29/cwt-4.78 vs last sale · ≈ $719/hd at 475 lb · 188 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
4,725
5,177
5,490
Feeder cattle
2,239
2,345
3,712
Slaughter cattle
1,882
2,028
1,310
Replacement cattle
604
804
468
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Yearling steers were too lightly tested to develop an market trend. Yearling heifers were very lightly tested, higher undertones were noticed. Demand for yearlings was moderate to good. Steer calves under 450 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 lower, steers over 450 lbs sold mostly 4.00-8.00 higher. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold 2.00-4.00 lower, heifers over 500 lbs sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Quality this week was average to attractive. Demand for calves was mostly moderate this week. Demand for light weight calves was lighter this week as California buyers were mostly out of the market due to last weeks heavy rains and tight trucks. Transportation remains tight as cows continue to move in the country along with summer video sale calves. Vaccinations were vital to selling calves again this week. Calves with two rounds of preconditioning shots sold with the best demand and offered 10.00-12.00 premiums in most instances. Conditions in the corn belt remain wet and muddy after last weeks rain. Some buyers in this portion of the country were not in the market this week. Calf supplies have started to dwindle as heavy marketing's have been seen since early to mid September. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for heavy offerings. Feeding cow buyers continue to drive the market as many buyers were actively bidding on this type of cow. Feeding cows sold unevenly steady with prices lower early in the sale and higher as the sale progressed. Most feeding cows sold 2.00 lower to 2.00 higher. Cows continue to be very thin. Many buyers purchased very thin cows to turn out on corn stalks or feed for a short period of time until the market improves. Many sets of cows have lots of compensatory gain. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 lower on lean cows, boning and breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. Quality this week was mostly average. Most sets of young cows were thin again this 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 too lightly tested to develop an market trend. Yearling heifers were very lightly tested, higher undertones were noticed. Demand for yearlings was moderate to good. Steer calves under 450 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 lower, steers over 450 lbs sold mostly 4.00-8.00 higher. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold 2.00-4.00 lower, heifers over 500 lbs sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Quality this week was average to attractive. Demand for calves was mostly moderate this week. Demand for light weight calves was lighter this week as California buyers were mostly out of the market due to last weeks heavy rains and tight trucks. Transportation remains tight as cows continue to move in the country along with summer video sale calves. Vaccinations were vital to selling calves again this week. Calves with two rounds of preconditioning shots sold with the best demand and offered 10.00-12.00 premiums in most instances. Conditions in the corn belt remain wet and muddy after last weeks rain. Some buyers in this portion of the country were not in the market this week. Calf supplies have started to dwindle as heavy marketing's have been seen since early to mid September. Market activity this week was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for heavy offerings. Feeding cow buyers continue to drive the market as many buyers were actively bidding on this type of cow. Feeding cows sold unevenly steady with prices lower early in the sale and higher as the sale progressed. Most feeding cows sold 2.00 lower to 2.00 higher. Cows continue to be very thin. Many buyers purchased very thin cows to turn out on corn stalks or feed for a short period of time until the market improves. Many sets of cows have lots of compensatory gain. Slaughter cows sold steady to 1.00 lower on lean cows, boning and breaking cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Slaughter bulls were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower. Quality this week was mostly average. Most sets of young cows were thin again this week.