light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$268.69/cwt-38.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,418/hd at 528 lb · 92 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$229.82/cwt-20.18 vs last sale · ≈ $1,285/hd at 559 lb · 75 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers$237.30/cwt-31.95 vs last sale · ≈ $1,490/hd at 628 lb · 57 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,176
1,178
1,452
Feeder cattle
1,000
913
1,240
Slaughter cattle
176
265
212
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week, steers and heifers sold sharply lower, fully 15.00 to 20.00 lower with many weights and classes seeing even more dramatic losses. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 6.00 lower. After an extremely long stretch with very little correction the cash feeder trade took a massive hit this week. The overwhelming majority of the cattle on offer were right off the cow and of varying quality but the bigger influence was the dismal performance at the CME, with Live Cattle contracts closing 4.57 to 5.05 lower and Feeder Cattle contracts faring even worse with the spot month 5.05 lower and extended contracts from 7.25 to 7.87 lower. Volatility like that will take the confidence out of the cash trade as quick as anything and buyers were not really interested in owning any more cattle until the market has a more clear direction. One bright spot of the day was a draft of 504 lb heifers trading at 265.00/cwt. Supply moderate, demand light.
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, steers and heifers sold sharply lower, fully 15.00 to 20.00 lower with many weights and classes seeing even more dramatic losses. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 6.00 lower. After an extremely long stretch with very little correction the cash feeder trade took a massive hit this week. The overwhelming majority of the cattle on offer were right off the cow and of varying quality but the bigger influence was the dismal performance at the CME, with Live Cattle contracts closing 4.57 to 5.05 lower and Feeder Cattle contracts faring even worse with the spot month 5.05 lower and extended contracts from 7.25 to 7.87 lower. Volatility like that will take the confidence out of the cash trade as quick as anything and buyers were not really interested in owning any more cattle until the market has a more clear direction. One bright spot of the day was a draft of 504 lb heifers trading at 265.00/cwt. Supply moderate, demand light.