Compared to last week (5-26-26): Feeder cattle were all scarcely tested today. Not enough sales to make any market trend. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate for very light offerings. Most feeders were offered in very small packages or as singles. Quality this week was mostly plain. CME feeder cattle positions moved sharply lower again today with most contracts from August through January 2027 showing over 3.00 losses. Market activity was slow with a small crowd on hand. Internet bidding was active again this week. Weigh up cows sold on good demand for light to moderate offerings. Feeding cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand. Feeding cows sold fully steady on breaking flesh cows. Boning and lean fleshed cows going to feed sold steady to 3.00 lower, with high quality and high yielding cows selling with the biggest losses this week. Thin and lower yielding cows sold closer to steady as private feeding buyers showed good demand for lame or blemished cows that would still feed. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Weigh up conditions were average to above average. Demand for slaughter cows remains good. Packers showed need for cows for immediate harvest and were competitive when bidding against feeding buyers. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Feeding bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Bull quality this week was average to very attractive. Young age cows sold 10.00-15.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive and overall more attractive than last week. Several long strings of high quality young cows were seen this week. These offerings were met with very good demand.
▼ Feeder cattle: CME feeder cattle positions moved sharply lower again today with most contracts from August through January 2027 showing over 3.00 losses
▼ Slaughter bulls: Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower in a narrow comparison
→ Slaughter cows: Demand for slaughter cows remains good
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 (5-26-26): Feeder cattle were all scarcely tested today. Not enough sales to make any market trend. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate for very light offerings. Most feeders were offered in very small packages or as singles. Quality this week was mostly plain. CME feeder cattle positions moved sharply lower again today with most contracts from August through January 2027 showing over 3.00 losses. Market activity was slow with a small crowd on hand. Internet bidding was active again this week. Weigh up cows sold on good demand for light to moderate offerings. Feeding cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand. Feeding cows sold fully steady on breaking flesh cows. Boning and lean fleshed cows going to feed sold steady to 3.00 lower, with high quality and high yielding cows selling with the biggest losses this week. Thin and lower yielding cows sold closer to steady as private feeding buyers showed good demand for lame or blemished cows that would still feed. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Weigh up conditions were average to above average. Demand for slaughter cows remains good. Packers showed need for cows for immediate harvest and were competitive when bidding against feeding buyers. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady in a narrow comparison. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 2.00 lower in a narrow comparison. Feeding bulls were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Bull quality this week was average to very attractive. Young age cows sold 10.00-15.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive and overall more attractive than last week. Several long strings of high quality young cows were seen this week. These offerings were met with very good demand.