This month's Special Bred Cow Sale at New Cambria Livestock was highlighted by a couple consignments of reputation bred heifers, nearly all in the third stage. Bred cows were offered in mostly small groups and pairs were in pretty short supply with the exception of one herd dispersal of running age cows with 250-350 lb calves beside them. A large crowd was on hand on a beautiful January day in north Missouri with a number of active bidders in the seats. The total receipts include 180 head of slaughter cows. Supply moderate, demand moderate to good.
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
This month's Special Bred Cow Sale at New Cambria Livestock was highlighted by a couple consignments of reputation bred heifers, nearly all in the third stage. Bred cows were offered in mostly small groups and pairs were in pretty short supply with the exception of one herd dispersal of running age cows with 250-350 lb calves beside them. A large crowd was on hand on a beautiful January day in north Missouri with a number of active bidders in the seats. The total receipts include 180 head of slaughter cows. Supply moderate, demand moderate to good.