light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$273.16/cwt≈ $1,459/hd at 534 lb · 114 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$258.86/cwt≈ $1,620/hd at 626 lb · 96 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers$280.56/cwt+1.85 vs last sale · ≈ $1,784/hd at 636 lb · 92 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,131
504
382
Feeder cattle
1,031
417
322
Slaughter cattle
100
77
60
Replacement cattle
—
10
—
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week's light test, steers and heifers sold with a firm to higher undertone. Several nice consignments of long weaned calves/short yearlings were on hand that saw very good demand. The highlight of the sale was a consignment that offered near 500 head off the same operation, including four square loads of long weaned black calves. Supply was moderate. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady.
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's light test, steers and heifers sold with a firm to higher undertone. Several nice consignments of long weaned calves/short yearlings were on hand that saw very good demand. The highlight of the sale was a consignment that offered near 500 head off the same operation, including four square loads of long weaned black calves. Supply was moderate. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady.