Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly moderate to good for very light offerings. Quality this week was mostly average. Package sizes were mostly small this week with most groups under 5 head. CME positions pushed higher today but have been very volatile over the last few weeks. Despite volatile futures markets, demand for cattle suitable to go to grass remains good. Market activity was mostly moderate to active this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand for light offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was good to very good. Slaughter cows and bulls along with feeding cows all sold with generally steady undertones. Weigh up conditions were mixed today with both empty and full offerings noticed. Young cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on good demand again this week. This class sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Young cow quality was mostly average to attractive 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: Feeder steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was mostly moderate to good for very light offerings. Quality this week was mostly average. Package sizes were mostly small this week with most groups under 5 head. CME positions pushed higher today but have been very volatile over the last few weeks. Despite volatile futures markets, demand for cattle suitable to go to grass remains good. Market activity was mostly moderate to active this week. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good to very good demand for light offerings. Demand for slaughter cows was good to very good. Slaughter cows and bulls along with feeding cows all sold with generally steady undertones. Weigh up conditions were mixed today with both empty and full offerings noticed. Young cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold on good demand again this week. This class sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Young cow quality was mostly average to attractive this week.