heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers$279.00/cwt≈ $1,853/hd at 664 lb · 31 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers$299.00/cwt≈ $1,767/hd at 591 lb · 28 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 heifers$218.32/cwt-4.26 vs last sale · ≈ $2,102/hd at 963 lb · 27 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
3,544
3,790
2,927
Feeder cattle
379
217
570
Slaughter cattle
702
356
644
Replacement cattle
87
74
75
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly plain to average and lower than last week. Demand was mostly good despite sharply lower CME contract positions. No load lots were seen this week and most cattle were offered in small packages or as singles. CME positions traded sharply lower over the past two weeks as concerns over the US economy caused large sell offs. The August feeder cattle contract closed Friday at 246.50, down 13.20 since Friday July 26th, the September closed at 241.60, down 18.00 since July 26th, the October closed at 239.775, down 18.525 since July 26th. Market activity this week was mostly active. Weigh up cows and bulls sold on mostly moderate to good demand for light to moderate offerings. Cows continue to green up as calves, competition with grasshoppers over forage, and dry conditions are causing some cows to lose body condition scores. Cow quality was mostly lower this week as a result. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to 1.00 higher on breaking cows, boning cows sold mostly 2.00-3.00 lower, lean cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher. Most of the unevenness in the slaughter cow prices was due to competition with feeding buyers. Packers and private feeders continue to show very good demand for feeding cows. Feeding cows sold steady to weak on high quality boning and breaking cows, lean feeding cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive but not as attractive as the previous week of sales. Weigh conditions were mixed. Many sets of cattle were pushing light to moderate amounts of fill. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady in a narrow comparison. Feeding bull buyers forced packers to keep prices near steady as they picked through the bull offering to find bulls 1500-1950 lbs. to feed. Feeding bulls sold generally steady to firm. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was good for high quality offerings which buyers are looking to rebreed. Quality was average to attractive.
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 cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality was mostly plain to average and lower than last week. Demand was mostly good despite sharply lower CME contract positions. No load lots were seen this week and most cattle were offered in small packages or as singles. CME positions traded sharply lower over the past two weeks as concerns over the US economy caused large sell offs. The August feeder cattle contract closed Friday at 246.50, down 13.20 since Friday July 26th, the September closed at 241.60, down 18.00 since July 26th, the October closed at 239.775, down 18.525 since July 26th. Market activity this week was mostly active. Weigh up cows and bulls sold on mostly moderate to good demand for light to moderate offerings. Cows continue to green up as calves, competition with grasshoppers over forage, and dry conditions are causing some cows to lose body condition scores. Cow quality was mostly lower this week as a result. Slaughter cows sold mostly steady to 1.00 higher on breaking cows, boning cows sold mostly 2.00-3.00 lower, lean cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher. Most of the unevenness in the slaughter cow prices was due to competition with feeding buyers. Packers and private feeders continue to show very good demand for feeding cows. Feeding cows sold steady to weak on high quality boning and breaking cows, lean feeding cows sold 1.00-2.00 higher. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive but not as attractive as the previous week of sales. Weigh conditions were mixed. Many sets of cattle were pushing light to moderate amounts of fill. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady in a narrow comparison. Feeding bull buyers forced packers to keep prices near steady as they picked through the bull offering to find bulls 1500-1950 lbs. to feed. Feeding bulls sold generally steady to firm. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was good for high quality offerings which buyers are looking to rebreed. Quality was average to attractive.