light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$175.74/cwt+17.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,084/hd at 617 lb · 1,048 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$175.17/cwt+5.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,006/hd at 574 lb · 407 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers$148.22/cwt+1.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,148/hd at 774 lb · 241 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
4,522
3,116
8,747
Feeder cattle
3,859
1,319
7,305
Slaughter cattle
248
991
659
Replacement cattle
415
806
783
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Steer calves were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, steady to higher undertones were noticed. Heifers over 650 lbs offered the best test this week and these offerings sold steady to 3.00 higher. All other weights of heifers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate to good. The best demand continues to be for grass cattle as buyers purchased cattle up to 725 lbs to return to grass. The snow storm seen early in the week provided grass cattle buyers some reassurance that there will be some grass to start the turnout season. Several long strings, with multiple loads, of high quality offerings were seen this week. Heifer quality continues to be much more attractive compared to steer quality. Many sets of heifers which were slated to keep as replacements, but are being offered due to drought conditions. CME positions traded slightly higher this week. The August feeder cattle contract closed Thursday at 174.35, 0.80 higher than last week. The April closed Thursday at 158.20, 1.65 higher; the May contract closed Thursday at 161.775, 2.40 higher. Market activity this week was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for very light offerings. Slaughter demand was mostly good this week. A winter storm has packers short cattle as markets and road conditions were impacted from Central Montana to Minnesota. Feeding cow buyers continue to show very good demand for thin, lower dressing cows, as they look for cows which will gain quickly when put on feed. The cow offering was too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on both feeding and slaughter cows. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Weigh conditions were mostly average to below average for buyers this week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to weak. These offerings were met moderate demand 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: Steer calves were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, steady to higher undertones were noticed. Heifers over 650 lbs offered the best test this week and these offerings sold steady to 3.00 higher. All other weights of heifers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed. Quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive. Demand for feeder cattle was mostly moderate to good. The best demand continues to be for grass cattle as buyers purchased cattle up to 725 lbs to return to grass. The snow storm seen early in the week provided grass cattle buyers some reassurance that there will be some grass to start the turnout season. Several long strings, with multiple loads, of high quality offerings were seen this week. Heifer quality continues to be much more attractive compared to steer quality. Many sets of heifers which were slated to keep as replacements, but are being offered due to drought conditions. CME positions traded slightly higher this week. The August feeder cattle contract closed Thursday at 174.35, 0.80 higher than last week. The April closed Thursday at 158.20, 1.65 higher; the May contract closed Thursday at 161.775, 2.40 higher. Market activity this week was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for very light offerings. Slaughter demand was mostly good this week. A winter storm has packers short cattle as markets and road conditions were impacted from Central Montana to Minnesota. Feeding cow buyers continue to show very good demand for thin, lower dressing cows, as they look for cows which will gain quickly when put on feed. The cow offering was too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed on both feeding and slaughter cows. Slaughter bulls sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Weigh conditions were mostly average to below average for buyers this week. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold steady to weak. These offerings were met moderate demand this week.