heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$281.69/cwt≈ $1,592/hd at 565 lb · 68 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$333.67/cwt+6.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,692/hd at 507 lb · 51 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$268.50/cwt-2.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,630/hd at 607 lb · 47 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
767
1,970
893
Feeder cattle
419
985
701
Slaughter cattle
243
375
154
Replacement cattle
105
610
38
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last sale: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested last week to develop a full market trend, however generally steady undertones were noticed on both steers heifers. Demand was mostly moderate to good for light offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and not as attractive as last week. Most cattle were long weaned from 45-100 days. Package sizes were mostly small this week. No load lots were seen. CME positions pushed higher all last week in anticipation of the cattle on feed report. The cattle on feed report showed on feed slightly higher than last January, placements 7% below last year and marketings slightly below last year. The March contract closed today at 253.00, 1.625 higher than last Tuesdays close. The April closed at 258.95 today, 3.60 higher than last Tuesdays close. Market activity was mostly moderate to active this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was good. Packers opted to send most of the cow offering to slaughter this week as supplies remain tight. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady on all offerings. Packers opted to send cows they would usually feed to harvest this week causing slaughter cows to sell unevenly compared to the previous week. Very few feeding cows were seen this week. No feeding cow comparison is available. Slaughter bulls sold 5.00-10.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Weigh up conditions were mixed today. Another set of fed cows sold this week. These offerings were met with mostly good demand. Most fed cow offerings had moderate amounts of tag, however most offered buyers and overnight stand and favorable weigh conditions. Young age cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly average 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 sale: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested last week to develop a full market trend, however generally steady undertones were noticed on both steers heifers. Demand was mostly moderate to good for light offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain to average and not as attractive as last week. Most cattle were long weaned from 45-100 days. Package sizes were mostly small this week. No load lots were seen. CME positions pushed higher all last week in anticipation of the cattle on feed report. The cattle on feed report showed on feed slightly higher than last January, placements 7% below last year and marketings slightly below last year. The March contract closed today at 253.00, 1.625 higher than last Tuesdays close. The April closed at 258.95 today, 3.60 higher than last Tuesdays close. Market activity was mostly moderate to active this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for light offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was good. Packers opted to send most of the cow offering to slaughter this week as supplies remain tight. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady on all offerings. Packers opted to send cows they would usually feed to harvest this week causing slaughter cows to sell unevenly compared to the previous week. Very few feeding cows were seen this week. No feeding cow comparison is available. Slaughter bulls sold 5.00-10.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Weigh up conditions were mixed today. Another set of fed cows sold this week. These offerings were met with mostly good demand. Most fed cow offerings had moderate amounts of tag, however most offered buyers and overnight stand and favorable weigh conditions. Young age cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly average this week.