heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers$139.49/cwt-7.88 vs last sale · ≈ $662/hd at 474 lb · 222 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers$140.39/cwt-1.90 vs last sale · ≈ $864/hd at 615 lb · 197 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$141.64/cwt-4.57 vs last sale · ≈ $803/hd at 567 lb · 188 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
2,017
3,353
2,640
Feeder cattle
1,881
3,042
2,216
Slaughter cattle
101
311
77
Replacement cattle
35
—
347
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last Friday: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Unweaned steers under 400 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, lower undertones were noticed; 400-649 lbs steers sold mostly 1.00-5.00 lower; steer calves over 650 lbs sold steady to firm. Heifer calves under 400 lbs sold fully steady; 400-549 lbs heifers sold mostly 3.00-6.00 lower; heifers over 550 lbs sold steady to weak. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Calves were offered in mostly small to medium size packages. Demand was mostly light to moderate. Several packages of weaned calves were seen this week. These were met with mostly moderate demand. Calves weaned less than 45 days sold on mostly light demand as many sets this week looked stressed and were extremely full. Cold and wet conditions along with a major snow storm about to bear down on southern Montana impacted demand today. CME positions showed losses over the past week in the led up to the release of the cattle on feed report which showed the largest placement number since the series began. Today the October feeder cattle contract closed 0.30 lower at 133.525 and the November closed 0.775 lower at 129.65. Buyer attendance was good. Market activity was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows and bulls were to lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was light to moderate.
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 Friday: Yearling steers and heifers were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Unweaned steers under 400 lbs were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, lower undertones were noticed; 400-649 lbs steers sold mostly 1.00-5.00 lower; steer calves over 650 lbs sold steady to firm. Heifer calves under 400 lbs sold fully steady; 400-549 lbs heifers sold mostly 3.00-6.00 lower; heifers over 550 lbs sold steady to weak. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive. Calves were offered in mostly small to medium size packages. Demand was mostly light to moderate. Several packages of weaned calves were seen this week. These were met with mostly moderate demand. Calves weaned less than 45 days sold on mostly light demand as many sets this week looked stressed and were extremely full. Cold and wet conditions along with a major snow storm about to bear down on southern Montana impacted demand today. CME positions showed losses over the past week in the led up to the release of the cattle on feed report which showed the largest placement number since the series began. Today the October feeder cattle contract closed 0.30 lower at 133.525 and the November closed 0.775 lower at 129.65. Buyer attendance was good. Market activity was slow to moderate. Weigh up cows and bulls were to lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand was light to moderate.