heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$155.91/cwt-2.58 vs last sale · ≈ $898/hd at 576 lb · 1,899 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers$145.06/cwt-1.45 vs last sale · ≈ $979/hd at 675 lb · 1,712 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$135.69/cwt-2.72 vs last sale · ≈ $779/hd at 574 lb · 1,164 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
14,542
11,308
14,604
Feeder cattle
14,542
11,308
14,604
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Steer calves 2.00 to 5.00 lower, except 500-550 lbs 3.00 higher, heifer calves steady to 3.00 higher except 550-600 lbs 2.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for steer and heifer calves this week. CME Live Cattle futures dropped by 2.50 on Thursday, adding more uncertainty to market. Futures prices declined while boxed beef prices have skyrocketed all the way up to 237.00 for Choice boxes even as daily slaughter totals hover around 120,000 head. The beef market appears very healthy but the futures contracts paint an alternative picture. There has been an extremely large volume of calves marketed in the past 4 weeks across the Northern Great Plains region which has also put some pressure on the market, as it does every year.
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 2.00 to 5.00 lower, except 500-550 lbs 3.00 higher, heifer calves steady to 3.00 higher except 550-600 lbs 2.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for steer and heifer calves this week. CME Live Cattle futures dropped by 2.50 on Thursday, adding more uncertainty to market. Futures prices declined while boxed beef prices have skyrocketed all the way up to 237.00 for Choice boxes even as daily slaughter totals hover around 120,000 head. The beef market appears very healthy but the futures contracts paint an alternative picture. There has been an extremely large volume of calves marketed in the past 4 weeks across the Northern Great Plains region which has also put some pressure on the market, as it does every year.