Cattle Market Pulse

Northwest Alabama Livestock Cattle Sale Market Report

Russellville, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 4, 2026

249 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $431.45/cwt -13.55 vs last sale · ≈ $2,222/hd at 515 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 249 249 347
Feeder cattle 179 210 209
Slaughter cattle 51 24 98
Replacement cattle 19 15 40

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle sold mostly steady. Feeder bulls sold sharply lower, feeder heifers sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher. Trade active with good demand on feeder cattle. Replacement cattle sold firm.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
290 290 1 570.00 $570.00 $1,653 —
315 value added 315 1 580.00 $580.00 $1,827 —
315–340 327 3 540.00–545.00 $541.66 $1,771 +21.58
385–395 390 2 515.00–530.00 $522.40 $2,037 +18.57
405–415 412 3 500.00–510.00 $505.00 $2,081 +17.59
460–490 478 3 455.00–475.00 $464.83 $2,222 +7.48
500–530 513 4 422.00–450.00 $430.94 $2,211 -13.25
555–560 556 4 405.00–415.00 $408.75 $2,273 +3.75
700–735 718 2 315.00–320.00 $317.44 $2,279 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–345 328 3 500.00–505.00 $501.75 $1,646 +6.60
355–365 362 3 460.00–490.00 $478.50 $1,732 -4.25
440 440 1 470.00 $470.00 $2,068 —
450–490 463 3 435.00–445.00 $441.76 $2,045 +23.27
570–585 575 3 380.00–395.00 $386.65 $2,223 +6.65

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 fancy 280 1 650.00 $650.00 $1,820 —
270–295 283 2 600.00 $600.00 $1,698 —
305–345 328 3 560.00–600.00 $582.89 $1,912 -12.11
350–375 366 5 550.00–565.00 $555.93 $2,035 -4.59
405–445 418 7 480.00–525.00 $501.14 $2,095 -5.19
455–485 471 9 445.00–480.00 $463.17 $2,182 -9.60
500–535 515 10 420.00–440.00 $431.45 $2,222 -13.55
555–590 575 3 420.00–430.00 $426.64 $2,453 +3.56
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–335 320 3 515.00–550.00 $528.05 $1,690 -19.48
375–385 383 6 500.00–520.00 $505.78 $1,937 +0.75
405–435 413 6 450.00–475.00 $468.98 $1,937 +11.40
490–495 492 5 415.00–425.00 $421.98 $2,076 -22.01
500–510 505 2 380.00–385.00 $382.48 $1,932 -27.42
560–585 575 5 350.00–385.00 $372.21 $2,140 -17.79
630 630 1 370.00 $370.00 $2,331 -5.08
675–695 688 3 330.00–345.00 $338.41 $2,328 -21.59
715 715 1 310.00 $310.00 $2,216 -21.08

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1285 1250 80-85% 3 165.00–180.00 $171.53 $2,144 —
1200–1340 1254 80-85% 4 185.00–187.00 $185.48 $2,326 —
1055–1460 1259 80-85% 5 175.00–182.00 $177.72 $2,237 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–1140 977 85-90% 6 155.00–165.00 $161.64 $1,579 —
1020 1020 85-90% 1 175.00 $175.00 $1,785 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1520–1685 1603 75-80% 7 175.00–180.00 $178.88 $2,867 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1605 1290 3 190.00–192.00 $190.65 $2,459 —
1605–1615 1610 2 200.00–205.00 $202.51 $3,260 —
1395–2015 1705 2 215.00–217.00 $215.82 $3,680 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,700.00 $1,700.00
— — Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,700.00–2,200.00 $1,966.67
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 2,600.00–3,100.00 $2,887.50

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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 2 3,700.00–4,200.00 $3,950.00 —

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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.