heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$269.46/cwt+2.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,829/hd at 679 lb · 29 head
light 6-weight M&L 1-2 heifers$265.12/cwt-0.04 vs last sale · ≈ $1,644/hd at 620 lb · 18 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers$331.00/cwt+5.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,678/hd at 507 lb · 13 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
2,010
3,153
1,331
Feeder cattle
437
467
220
Slaughter cattle
1,236
2,005
925
Replacement cattle
337
681
186
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Too few sales were seen this week or last to develop any market trend. Feeder cattle were mostly offered in small packages or as singles. Demand was good to very good for very light offerings. A few offerings off grass were seen and these were met with very good demand. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. CME positions traded near steady for the week. The August feeder cattle contract closed at 258.65, 0.375 lower than two weeks ago, the September closed at 258.10, 1.55 lower than two weeks ago. Market activity this week was mostly active, with a good crowd on hand and several internet bidders actively bidding. Weigh up cows and bulls comprised the majority of the cattle offering again this week. Ranchers continue to cull cows as many are wrapping up branding and are turning out cows. Some cows who have yet to calve are being sold as ranchers don't want to deal with the hassle of late calves. Most of these offerings sold at slaughter price with some going to slaughter and other returning to feed. Packers showed mixed demand for cows this week with some showing lighter demand while other packers showed stronger demand. Additional packer buyers were in the market again this week and were very aggressive as they searched for slaughter cows for harvest following the holiday. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady from 2.00 lower to 3.00 higher. Packers showed very good demand for feeding cows, however with additional packer buyers in the market buying high quality feeding cows was difficult as buyers were reluctant to push offerings higher but did so on several sets of attractive offerings. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive but not as attractive as the previous week of sales. Weigh conditions were average to above average, however most offerings are starting to flesh up and some are starting to show more fill as well. Offerings were more full this week as very hot weather was seen and most cows were tanked up on water. Slaughter bulls sold unevenly steady from 3.00 lower to 5.00 higher. Feeding bull buyers forced packers to give more money for average dressing bulls this week while bulls to big or too fleshy to feed mostly sold lower. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady. Demand was good to very good for high quality offerings which buyers are looking to rebreed. Quality was mixed from plain to attractive. The calendar is starting to get late in the season to buy cows to rebreed so many buyers are slowing down on purchasing offerings for that purpose. Cows purchased this week would mostly be late April and later calving cows.
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: Too few sales were seen this week or last to develop any market trend. Feeder cattle were mostly offered in small packages or as singles. Demand was good to very good for very light offerings. A few offerings off grass were seen and these were met with very good demand. Quality this week was mostly plain to average. CME positions traded near steady for the week. The August feeder cattle contract closed at 258.65, 0.375 lower than two weeks ago, the September closed at 258.10, 1.55 lower than two weeks ago. Market activity this week was mostly active, with a good crowd on hand and several internet bidders actively bidding. Weigh up cows and bulls comprised the majority of the cattle offering again this week. Ranchers continue to cull cows as many are wrapping up branding and are turning out cows. Some cows who have yet to calve are being sold as ranchers don't want to deal with the hassle of late calves. Most of these offerings sold at slaughter price with some going to slaughter and other returning to feed. Packers showed mixed demand for cows this week with some showing lighter demand while other packers showed stronger demand. Additional packer buyers were in the market again this week and were very aggressive as they searched for slaughter cows for harvest following the holiday. Slaughter cows sold unevenly steady from 2.00 lower to 3.00 higher. Packers showed very good demand for feeding cows, however with additional packer buyers in the market buying high quality feeding cows was difficult as buyers were reluctant to push offerings higher but did so on several sets of attractive offerings. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive but not as attractive as the previous week of sales. Weigh conditions were average to above average, however most offerings are starting to flesh up and some are starting to show more fill as well. Offerings were more full this week as very hot weather was seen and most cows were tanked up on water. Slaughter bulls sold unevenly steady from 3.00 lower to 5.00 higher. Feeding bull buyers forced packers to give more money for average dressing bulls this week while bulls to big or too fleshy to feed mostly sold lower. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady. Demand was good to very good for high quality offerings which buyers are looking to rebreed. Quality was mixed from plain to attractive. The calendar is starting to get late in the season to buy cows to rebreed so many buyers are slowing down on purchasing offerings for that purpose. Cows purchased this week would mostly be late April and later calving cows.