light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$307.69/cwt-1.68 vs last sale · ≈ $1,616/hd at 525 lb · 994 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$292.07/cwt+1.68 vs last sale · ≈ $1,671/hd at 572 lb · 851 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers$326.51/cwt+1.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,538/hd at 471 lb · 703 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
14,869
13,954
13,975
Feeder cattle
11,056
7,727
10,039
Slaughter cattle
2,575
1,334
2,623
Replacement cattle
1,238
392
1,313
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Steer calves under 500 lbs sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher, steers over 500 lbs sold mostly steady to firm. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold generally steady, heifer calves over 500 lbs sold steady to firm. Yearling steers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Yearling heifers under 800 lbs sold mostly steady to 5.00 lower, while heifers over 800 lbs sold generally steady. Calf quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Yearling quality was mostly average to attractive, and much more attractive this week compared to last week. Demand was mostly moderate to good for yearlings. Additionally, yearling cattle were offered in larger packages this week with several load lots and multiple load lot consignments seen. Demand for calves was mostly good to very good. Very few load lots or partial load lots were seen this week. Most cattle were offered in small to moderate size packages. Packages sizes under 5 head sold with significantly lighter demand compared to larger consignments. The best demand for calves continues to be for high quality light weight calves under 500 lbs which buyers can develop into yearlings. Many of these calves are going south to wheat pastures or west to California to grass. CME positions were slightly lower this past week. The October contract closed at 248.325, 1.425 lower than last Fridays close. The November contract closed Friday at 247.60, 2.20 lower than last Fridays close. Market activity this week was mostly active, with good participation seen from bidders both ringside as well as over the internet. Weigh up cows and bulls sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate offerings. Packers showed light to moderate demand for slaughter cows this week. Packers were forced to pay higher prices for slaughter cows this week as feeding buyers purchased the vast majority of cows to send to feed this week. Even slightly lame or blemished cows were purchased by feeding buyers this week. Slaughter cows sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher on breaking cows. Boning and lean cows sold steady to firm. Feeding cow demand was mostly good to very good demand, with many takers seen for this class of cows. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-6.00 higher, with the biggest increase in price seen for low yielding cows. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher. Demand for feeding bulls was light to moderate this week as packers were the main buyer of feeding bulls. Feeding bulls sold generally steady. Cow and bull quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Weigh conditions were mostly average this week. Cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 5.00 higher with very good demand seen from rebreed buyers. Quality was mostly average to attractive 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 under 500 lbs sold mostly steady to 5.00 higher, steers over 500 lbs sold mostly steady to firm. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold generally steady, heifer calves over 500 lbs sold steady to firm. Yearling steers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Yearling heifers under 800 lbs sold mostly steady to 5.00 lower, while heifers over 800 lbs sold generally steady. Calf quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Yearling quality was mostly average to attractive, and much more attractive this week compared to last week. Demand was mostly moderate to good for yearlings. Additionally, yearling cattle were offered in larger packages this week with several load lots and multiple load lot consignments seen. Demand for calves was mostly good to very good. Very few load lots or partial load lots were seen this week. Most cattle were offered in small to moderate size packages. Packages sizes under 5 head sold with significantly lighter demand compared to larger consignments. The best demand for calves continues to be for high quality light weight calves under 500 lbs which buyers can develop into yearlings. Many of these calves are going south to wheat pastures or west to California to grass. CME positions were slightly lower this past week. The October contract closed at 248.325, 1.425 lower than last Fridays close. The November contract closed Friday at 247.60, 2.20 lower than last Fridays close. Market activity this week was mostly active, with good participation seen from bidders both ringside as well as over the internet. Weigh up cows and bulls sold on mostly moderate to good demand for moderate offerings. Packers showed light to moderate demand for slaughter cows this week. Packers were forced to pay higher prices for slaughter cows this week as feeding buyers purchased the vast majority of cows to send to feed this week. Even slightly lame or blemished cows were purchased by feeding buyers this week. Slaughter cows sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher on breaking cows. Boning and lean cows sold steady to firm. Feeding cow demand was mostly good to very good demand, with many takers seen for this class of cows. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-6.00 higher, with the biggest increase in price seen for low yielding cows. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher. Demand for feeding bulls was light to moderate this week as packers were the main buyer of feeding bulls. Feeding bulls sold generally steady. Cow and bull quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Weigh conditions were mostly average this week. Cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 5.00 higher with very good demand seen from rebreed buyers. Quality was mostly average to attractive this week.