Cattle Market Pulse

Northwest Alabama Livestock Cattle Sale Market Report

Russellville, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 18, 2023

367 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 2 heifers $222.71/cwt +3.47 vs last sale · ≈ $864/hd at 388 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 367 380 406
Feeder cattle 291 234 347
Slaughter cattle 55 114 49
Replacement cattle 21 32 10

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago, Slaughter cattle sold unevenly steady. Feeder heifers sold unevenly steady. Feeder bulls sold 2.00 to 10.00 higher. Replacement cattle lightly tested. Trade active with good demand on feeder cattle.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 4 230.00 $230.00 $736 +2.75
385–390 388 13 220.00–225.00 $222.71 $864 +3.47
420 420 1 217.00 $217.00 $911 +5.00
450–490 473 7 207.00–215.00 $211.15 $999 +3.64
500–535 510 7 195.00–205.00 $199.96 $1,020 -2.04
575 575 1 187.00 $187.00 $1,075 -6.36
615–635 623 3 180.00–185.00 $182.36 $1,136 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–395 383 5 230.00–232.00 $231.59 $887 +0.23
405 405 2 227.00 $227.00 $919 +8.54
455–460 457 3 217.00–225.00 $220.65 $1,008 —
505–545 532 3 210.00–215.00 $211.58 $1,126 +0.07
565–595 572 5 200.00–205.00 $203.36 $1,163 -1.64
610 610 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,159 -5.24
650 value added 650 1 205.00 $205.00 $1,332 —
680 680 1 187.00 $187.00 $1,272 +7.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 3 220.00–225.00 $221.67 $687 +6.67
400–440 426 6 207.00–215.00 $212.32 $904 +5.32
450–485 469 6 200.00–205.00 $202.91 $952 +0.91
510 510 1 190.00 $190.00 $969 -7.52
565–590 578 2 182.00–185.00 $183.47 $1,060 +8.51

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 5 270.00–280.00 $278.00 $1,001 +23.00
410–420 415 5 247.00–255.00 $250.38 $1,039 +2.90
450–490 463 7 235.00–245.00 $237.52 $1,100 +5.05
520–535 528 2 220.00–227.00 $223.45 $1,180 -1.55
600–640 615 3 200.00–210.00 $205.01 $1,261 -1.99
660 660 1 190.00 $190.00 $1,254 -2.29
715 715 1 187.00 $187.00 $1,337 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–325 318 2 260.00–270.00 $265.12 $843 +10.12
365–385 380 5 245.00–255.00 $250.04 $950 +1.11
445 445 2 235.00 $235.00 $1,046 —
455–475 464 7 222.00–232.00 $228.24 $1,059 +10.71
500–540 520 4 210.00–215.00 $212.40 $1,104 +8.20
555 555 1 207.00 $207.00 $1,149 +17.00
610 610 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,190 +17.66
685 685 1 185.00 $185.00 $1,267 —
740 740 1 172.00 $172.00 $1,273 +4.55
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–335 325 7 240.00–250.00 $246.56 $801 —
395 395 1 235.00 $235.00 $928 —
425 425 1 230.00 $230.00 $978 —
460–490 475 6 215.00–220.00 $217.58 $1,034 —
505–545 526 4 195.00–207.00 $201.82 $1,062 —
575 575 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,035 —
640 640 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,088 —
675–690 683 2 162.00–165.00 $163.52 $1,117 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1185 1104 80-85% 4 86.00–90.00 $88.01 $972 —
1035–1400 1248 80-85% 8 91.00–96.00 $93.76 $1,170 +0.55
1200–1465 1274 80-85% 6 99.00–104.00 $101.91 $1,298 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–1100 938 85-90% 4 73.00–78.00 $75.67 $710 —
900–1030 955 85-90% 3 64.00–71.00 $67.50 $645 -8.94
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1535–1565 1550 75-80% 2 96.00–98.00 $97.01 $1,504 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1375 1375 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,512 —
1450–1760 1557 3 113.00–116.00 $114.69 $1,786 —
1815–1980 1898 2 122.00–125.00 $123.57 $2,345 —

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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) 2 1,125.00–1,200.00 $1,162.50

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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 6 1,200.00–1,275.00 $1,233.33 —

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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.