light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$318.12/cwt+6.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,657/hd at 521 lb · 779 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers$345.09/cwt+11.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,638/hd at 475 lb · 754 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$295.24/cwt+6.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,689/hd at 572 lb · 659 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
15,086
19,549
11,515
Feeder cattle
11,119
11,452
8,897
Slaughter cattle
2,859
2,616
1,898
Replacement cattle
1,108
1,028
720
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Steer calves under 400 lbs sold mostly steady, steer calves 400-599 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher. Steer calves over 600 lbs sold steady to 5.00 lower. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold mostly 4.00-8.00 higher, heifer calves 500-649 lbs sold mostly 4.00 to 6.00 lower; heifer calves over 650 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Yearling steers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however firm undertones were noticed. Yearling heifers all sold steady to 3.00 higher. Calf quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive. Quality was more attractive this week compared to last week. Yearling quality was mostly average to attractive, and similar compared to last week. Demand was mostly moderate to good for yearlings and calves. Load lots of yearlings sold on very good demand. The first full load lots of calves on offer this fall sold this week. These offerings were met with very good demand. Most calves were offered in small packages to partial load lots. 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. Increased demand was seen for these offerings as more buyers were seen for this class of calves. Most lightweight calves continue to go south to wheat pastures or west to California to grass, however this week some farmer-feeders were in the market looking for calves to background. CME positions saw lower movement this past week. The October contract final settlement was 250.98, 1.355 higher than last Fridays close. The November contract closed Friday at 246.875, 1.70 lower than last Fridays close; The January contract closed Friday at 243.20. 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 light to moderate demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Packers showed mostly light demand for slaughter cows this week. Slaughter cows sold 5.00-7.00 lower on all classes. Private feeding cow buyers continue to buy all types of cows to put on feed, even lame or slightly blemished cows continue to be sent to feed. Feeding cow demand was stronger this week compared to last week. Demand was mostly good to very good, with many takers seen. Some sales had over 10 buyers purchasing cows to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-3.00 higher, on high quality feeding cows, average quality or slightly blemished cows sold steady to 3.00 lower. Offerings were much heavier this week compared to last week. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-4.00 lower. Cow and bull quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive and overall significantly more attractive compared to last week. Weigh conditions were mixed this week. Cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady to 3.00
lower on a similar quality offering.
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 400 lbs sold mostly steady, steer calves 400-599 lbs sold mostly 5.00-10.00 higher. Steer calves over 600 lbs sold steady to 5.00 lower. Heifer calves under 500 lbs sold mostly 4.00-8.00 higher, heifer calves 500-649 lbs sold mostly 4.00 to 6.00 lower; heifer calves over 650 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however lower undertones were noticed. Yearling steers were too lightly tested last week to develop an accurate market trend, however firm undertones were noticed. Yearling heifers all sold steady to 3.00 higher. Calf quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive. Quality was more attractive this week compared to last week. Yearling quality was mostly average to attractive, and similar compared to last week. Demand was mostly moderate to good for yearlings and calves. Load lots of yearlings sold on very good demand. The first full load lots of calves on offer this fall sold this week. These offerings were met with very good demand. Most calves were offered in small packages to partial load lots. 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. Increased demand was seen for these offerings as more buyers were seen for this class of calves. Most lightweight calves continue to go south to wheat pastures or west to California to grass, however this week some farmer-feeders were in the market looking for calves to background. CME positions saw lower movement this past week. The October contract final settlement was 250.98, 1.355 higher than last Fridays close. The November contract closed Friday at 246.875, 1.70 lower than last Fridays close; The January contract closed Friday at 243.20. 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 light to moderate demand for moderate to heavy offerings. Packers showed mostly light demand for slaughter cows this week. Slaughter cows sold 5.00-7.00 lower on all classes. Private feeding cow buyers continue to buy all types of cows to put on feed, even lame or slightly blemished cows continue to be sent to feed. Feeding cow demand was stronger this week compared to last week. Demand was mostly good to very good, with many takers seen. Some sales had over 10 buyers purchasing cows to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-3.00 higher, on high quality feeding cows, average quality or slightly blemished cows sold steady to 3.00 lower. Offerings were much heavier this week compared to last week. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 3.00-4.00 lower. Cow and bull quality this week was mixed from plain to very attractive and overall significantly more attractive compared to last week. Weigh conditions were mixed this week. Cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower on a similar quality offering.