heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$163.38/cwt+3.56 vs last sale · ≈ $935/hd at 573 lb · 467 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$153.44/cwt+2.70 vs last sale · ≈ $796/hd at 519 lb · 362 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers$180.34/cwt+6.43 vs last sale · ≈ $931/hd at 517 lb · 345 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
4,099
3,552
1,653
Feeder cattle
3,626
3,463
1,576
Slaughter cattle
372
52
12
Replacement cattle
101
37
65
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last Friday: All yearlings were scarcely tested thus no trend is available. Steer calves under 600 lbs sold 2.00-5.00 higher, over 600 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher. Heifer calves under 600 lbs sold generally steady, over 600 lbs sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Demand was mostly moderate to good on moderate to heavy offerings. Calf quality this sale was mostly average to very attractive. Heavy weight calves were especially attractive this week and sold with the best demand. Demand for calves suitable to run on grass was good with several buyers purchasing this class of cows. Calves too heavy for grass and too light to finish by April were the soft spot of the sale. These cattle sold on uneven demand. Trucking is unprecedently tight as many cattle are moving in the country. Cows, video cattle, as well as regular fall marketing's are all trying to find transportation all at the same time. This has tightened transportation even more than usual. Additionally, many feeders who usually feed cattle in the state have sold their feed and pen space to ranchers who have put their cows in the feedlot for winter. Local buyers who would normally purchase calves to feed are now out of the market and these calves have to find new homes in states with lower cost feed. Market activity this week was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows sold on very light to light demand. Prices were sharply lower than last week as packers have backed way off prices due to heavy supplies from drought areas. Lean cows sold mostly 8.00-10.00 lower, boning cows sold 4.00-8.00 lower, breaking cows not tested. Feeding cows sold 4.00-8.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Cows were mostly very thin this sale. Weight up conditions were mostly below average with many cows tanking up off fresh clean water and good feed when they enter the yards. Young age cows sold on mostly good demand. Prices were generally steady.
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: All yearlings were scarcely tested thus no trend is available. Steer calves under 600 lbs sold 2.00-5.00 higher, over 600 lbs sold 5.00-10.00 higher. Heifer calves under 600 lbs sold generally steady, over 600 lbs sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Demand was mostly moderate to good on moderate to heavy offerings. Calf quality this sale was mostly average to very attractive. Heavy weight calves were especially attractive this week and sold with the best demand. Demand for calves suitable to run on grass was good with several buyers purchasing this class of cows. Calves too heavy for grass and too light to finish by April were the soft spot of the sale. These cattle sold on uneven demand. Trucking is unprecedently tight as many cattle are moving in the country. Cows, video cattle, as well as regular fall marketing's are all trying to find transportation all at the same time. This has tightened transportation even more than usual. Additionally, many feeders who usually feed cattle in the state have sold their feed and pen space to ranchers who have put their cows in the feedlot for winter. Local buyers who would normally purchase calves to feed are now out of the market and these calves have to find new homes in states with lower cost feed. Market activity this week was mostly moderate to active. Weigh up cows sold on very light to light demand. Prices were sharply lower than last week as packers have backed way off prices due to heavy supplies from drought areas. Lean cows sold mostly 8.00-10.00 lower, boning cows sold 4.00-8.00 lower, breaking cows not tested. Feeding cows sold 4.00-8.00 lower. Slaughter bulls sold fully steady. Cows were mostly very thin this sale. Weight up conditions were mostly below average with many cows tanking up off fresh clean water and good feed when they enter the yards. Young age cows sold on mostly good demand. Prices were generally steady.