Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality this week was mixed from plain to average. Cattle were offered in small groups with many singles noticed as well. Demand was mostly moderate to good. Too few cattle were seen this week for buyers to build loads. Some buyers were also not in the market this week as their customers were not taking cattle this week due to the holiday. CME feeder cattle positions were also lower to start the week with lower movement seen Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Market activity was mostly moderate to active with a small buyer pool was noticed. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for moderate offerings. Feeding cow demand remains very good. A large pool of buyers was in the market this week. Canadian buyers were back in the market this week as the US dollar fell slightly helping exchange rates. Boning and lean fleshed feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower on a lower quality offering than was seen last week. Breaking cows sold with the lightest demand again this week. These offerings sold 2.00-5.00 lower. Demand for slaughter cows was also stronger this week as packers tried to buy cows to harvest prior to the 4th of July holiday. Breaking slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower. Boning and lean slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls sold 4.00-5.00 lower. Feeding bulls sold 5.00-7.00 lower. Light demand was seen from packer buyers this week for this class of bulls as most feeding bulls were purchased by private feeders. Demand for feeding bulls was light to moderate this week as a result. Feeding bull quality this week was mostly plain to average. Demand for young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed was mostly moderate to good but lighter than last week as many opted to remain out of the market this week with the 4th of July holiday ahead. Young age cows sold mostly steady to weak. Quality was mostly average and lower than last week.
▼ Feeder cattle: CME feeder cattle positions were also lower to start the week with lower movement seen Monday
▼ Slaughter bulls: Slaughter bulls sold 4.00-5.00 lower
▼ Slaughter cows: Breaking slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower
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 all too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Quality this week was mixed from plain to average. Cattle were offered in small groups with many singles noticed as well. Demand was mostly moderate to good. Too few cattle were seen this week for buyers to build loads. Some buyers were also not in the market this week as their customers were not taking cattle this week due to the holiday. CME feeder cattle positions were also lower to start the week with lower movement seen Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Market activity was mostly moderate to active with a small buyer pool was noticed. Weigh up cows sold on mostly good demand for moderate offerings. Feeding cow demand remains very good. A large pool of buyers was in the market this week. Canadian buyers were back in the market this week as the US dollar fell slightly helping exchange rates. Boning and lean fleshed feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 lower on a lower quality offering than was seen last week. Breaking cows sold with the lightest demand again this week. These offerings sold 2.00-5.00 lower. Demand for slaughter cows was also stronger this week as packers tried to buy cows to harvest prior to the 4th of July holiday. Breaking slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 lower. Boning and lean slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to weak undertones were noticed. Slaughter bulls sold 4.00-5.00 lower. Feeding bulls sold 5.00-7.00 lower. Light demand was seen from packer buyers this week for this class of bulls as most feeding bulls were purchased by private feeders. Demand for feeding bulls was light to moderate this week as a result. Feeding bull quality this week was mostly plain to average. Demand for young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed was mostly moderate to good but lighter than last week as many opted to remain out of the market this week with the 4th of July holiday ahead. Young age cows sold mostly steady to weak. Quality was mostly average and lower than last week.