Cattle Market Pulse

Northwest Alabama Livestock Cattle Sale Market Report

Russellville, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 16, 2024

437 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $283.92/cwt +8.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,178/hd at 415 lb · 15 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 2 bulls $274.97/cwt +9.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,543/hd at 561 lb · 13 head
light 5-weight M&L 2 heifers $263.39/cwt +13.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,385/hd at 526 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 437 482 367
Feeder cattle 352 367 291
Slaughter cattle 73 75 55
Replacement cattle 12 40 21

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Slaughter cattle sold 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Replacement cattle sold steady. Feeder steers sold unevenly steady. Feeder heifers sold sharply higher. Feeder bulls sold 6.00 to 10.00 higher. Trade was active with good demand on feeder cattle.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–270 267 3 400.00–415.00 $405.06 $1,082 +5.06
300 300 1 380.00 $380.00 $1,140 —
420–445 426 4 325.00–330.00 $328.70 $1,400 —
460–475 466 5 315.00–322.50 $319.44 $1,489 —
500–545 524 7 300.00–307.00 $305.75 $1,602 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485–490 487 3 285.00–295.00 $288.36 $1,404 -21.64
535 535 1 280.00 $280.00 $1,498 -20.00
585 585 3 275.00 $275.00 $1,609 -15.00
614 614 2 270.00 $270.00 $1,658 +6.47
700 700 3 257.50 $257.50 $1,802 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 3 320.00 $320.00 $1,024 +30.00
355–375 367 5 300.00–315.00 $309.20 $1,135 +24.20
400–440 415 15 280.00–290.00 $283.92 $1,178 +8.34
460–480 470 8 275.00–280.00 $277.22 $1,303 +18.22
500–545 526 11 260.00–270.00 $263.39 $1,385 +13.09
570–575 572 9 245.00–255.00 $249.44 $1,427 +6.94
600 600 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,440 +5.00
650 650 1 225.00 $225.00 $1,462 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250–295 276 4 325.00–340.00 $329.73 $910 +4.73
355–375 369 8 325.00–335.00 $326.84 $1,206 +16.84
400–405 402 6 310.00–315.00 $311.67 $1,253 +14.17
455 455 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,479 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 1 267.50 $267.50 $1,190 —
485 485 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,237 +10.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360–380 370 2 325.00 $325.00 $1,202 ±0.00
420 420 2 315.00 $315.00 $1,323 +10.63
470–495 477 5 300.00–320.00 $308.89 $1,473 +18.89
540–545 543 2 282.00–285.00 $283.49 $1,539 —
550–580 561 13 270.00–280.00 $274.97 $1,543 +9.97
620–630 623 4 250.00–257.50 $251.90 $1,569 -1.40
650–685 678 5 240.00–245.00 $240.96 $1,634 -4.04
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 390.00 $390.00 $1,072 —
305–335 323 4 360.00–370.00 $365.04 $1,179 -3.33
375 375 2 340.00 $340.00 $1,275 -7.37
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450 450 1 260.00 $260.00 $1,170 —
515 515 2 255.00 $255.00 $1,313 —
575 575 3 250.00 $250.00 $1,438 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1205 1071 85-90% 6 95.00–105.00 $98.32 $1,053 -12.46
900–1300 1123 85-90% 13 107.00–116.00 $111.92 $1,257 -8.08
1125–1300 1213 85-90% 4 122.00–125.00 $123.53 $1,498 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250 1250 80-85% 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,250 —
1125–1500 1272 80-85% 6 124.00–130.00 $126.39 $1,608 —
1295–1355 1335 80-85% 3 115.00–117.00 $116.35 $1,553 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1500–1630 1568 75-80% 3 100.00–105.00 $102.69 $1,610 —
1750 1750 75-80% 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,925 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1400 1233 3 160.00–164.00 $161.57 $1,992 —
1350–1445 1382 3 129.00–140.00 $133.72 $1,848 —
1320–1500 1383 3 142.00–152.00 $148.16 $2,049 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 4 800.00–950.00 $843.75

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— fancy — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 2,050.00 $2,050.00
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 1,450.00–1,650.00 $1,525.00
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 5 1,175.00–1,225.00 $1,205.00

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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.