Cattle Market Pulse

Northwest Alabama Livestock Cattle Sale Market Report

Russellville, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 21, 2023

587 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Northwest Alabama Livestock Cattle Sale report →

heavy 3-weight M&L 3 heifers $223.41/cwt ≈ $813/hd at 364 lb · 13 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 2 steers $234.17/cwt ≈ $1,534/hd at 655 lb · 11 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $253.66/cwt -6.87 vs last sale · ≈ $1,169/hd at 461 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 587 568 602
Feeder cattle 480 480 517
Slaughter cattle 60 60 71
Replacement cattle 47 28 14

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week : Slaughter cattle sold $2.00 lower. Feeder steers and bulls sold $4.00-$6.00 lower, Feeder heifers sold unevenly steady. Trade active with good demand on feeders. Replacement cattle sold mostly steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 2 242.00 $242.00 $1,319 —
652–663 655 11 232.00–235.00 $234.17 $1,534 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
460 460 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,058 —
680 680 2 220.00 $220.00 $1,496 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
475 475 1 265.00 $265.00 $1,259 -6.25

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 2 240.00–245.00 $242.50 $800 +0.50
360–395 381 4 232.00–242.00 $236.10 $900 -3.40
405–435 418 9 225.00–232.00 $227.92 $953 -2.31
455–495 482 6 220.00–225.00 $223.67 $1,078 +0.21
520–545 527 6 212.00–222.00 $216.34 $1,140 -1.37
550–580 566 4 207.00–212.00 $208.95 $1,183 -4.49
625–645 633 3 190.00–200.00 $195.62 $1,238 -14.38
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–380 364 13 220.00–225.00 $223.41 $813 —
450 450 1 210.00 $210.00 $945 -7.00
525–545 535 2 200.00–210.00 $204.91 $1,096 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
440–445 443 2 240.00–250.00 $245.03 $1,085 +6.03
475 475 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,092 -4.22
525 525 2 227.00 $227.00 $1,192 -0.80
565–580 573 2 225.00–227.00 $225.99 $1,295 +4.19
610–645 622 3 205.00–215.00 $211.54 $1,316 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–395 386 5 255.00–265.00 $261.28 $1,009 -27.04
450–490 461 10 245.00–257.00 $253.66 $1,169 -6.87
500–515 506 4 240.00–245.00 $242.99 $1,230 -1.59
610–625 616 4 220.00–230.00 $225.23 $1,387 +1.52
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 373 3 230.00–242.00 $233.86 $872 -40.07
430–440 437 5 235.00–247.00 $240.16 $1,049 -11.34
470 470 1 232.00 $232.00 $1,090 -13.17
500–535 519 4 225.00–230.00 $226.77 $1,177 -5.45
560–590 575 2 222.00–225.00 $223.54 $1,285 -0.39
675–695 685 2 205.00–215.00 $209.93 $1,438 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 1 220.00 $220.00 $803 —
490 490 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,102 —
530–545 540 5 215.00–220.00 $216.39 $1,169 -4.61
595 595 1 215.00 $215.00 $1,279 —
640 640 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,312 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1150 1082 80-85% 3 103.00–105.00 $104.35 $1,129 —
1090–1340 1183 80-85% 3 108.00–112.00 $109.82 $1,299 -7.75
1125–1425 1242 80-85% 6 113.00–118.00 $115.14 $1,430 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125 1125 85-90% 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,012 -14.00

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1525 1525 1 116.00 $116.00 $1,769 -10.83
1505–1765 1655 4 122.00–128.00 $125.04 $2,069 -12.04

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,400.00 $1,400.00
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,200.00–1,325.00 $1,262.50

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,475.00 $1,475.00 —
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 1 1,700.00 $1,700.00 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

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.