light 6-weight M&L 1 steers$461.56/cwt+10.37 vs last sale · ≈ $2,900/hd at 628 lb · 1,918 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$410.48/cwt+21.66 vs last sale · ≈ $2,762/hd at 673 lb · 1,751 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers$410.12/cwt+9.65 vs last sale · ≈ $2,975/hd at 725 lb · 1,709 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
29,283
37,263
30,571
Feeder cattle
28,085
—
30,571
Replacement cattle
1,198
—
0
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week most weights of steers less than 800 lbs sold 10.00 higher. 8 weight steers sold 2.00 higher and over 900 lbs sold 10.00 higher on a very thin test. Heifers less than 600 lbs sold 3.00 to 4.00 higher, 6 weights sold 10.00 higher, 700 to 900 lbs sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher and over 900 lbs sold 10.00 on a very thin test. Demand was mostly good, with very good demand for replacement heifers and for bred heifers and cows. Another week of several buyers looking for replacement heifers. Some are buying average quality heifers with other seeking the top of the shelf heifers. Several of the prospective heifers will be developed and sold as bred females last of this year and into 2027. Feedlots traded live sales unevenly steady from 238.00 to 241.00 and dressed sales sold 3.00 higher at 378.00. Hay market remains mostly slow with a decent amount of hay sitting around the state. Last year the market saw an sharp upward tick in May before the late spring rains arrived. Be interesting, what the future of the hay market will be this spring.
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 most weights of steers less than 800 lbs sold 10.00 higher. 8 weight steers sold 2.00 higher and over 900 lbs sold 10.00 higher on a very thin test. Heifers less than 600 lbs sold 3.00 to 4.00 higher, 6 weights sold 10.00 higher, 700 to 900 lbs sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher and over 900 lbs sold 10.00 on a very thin test. Demand was mostly good, with very good demand for replacement heifers and for bred heifers and cows. Another week of several buyers looking for replacement heifers. Some are buying average quality heifers with other seeking the top of the shelf heifers. Several of the prospective heifers will be developed and sold as bred females last of this year and into 2027. Feedlots traded live sales unevenly steady from 238.00 to 241.00 and dressed sales sold 3.00 higher at 378.00. Hay market remains mostly slow with a decent amount of hay sitting around the state. Last year the market saw an sharp upward tick in May before the late spring rains arrived. Be interesting, what the future of the hay market will be this spring.