heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers$149.40/cwt≈ $850/hd at 569 lb · 59 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers$137.86/cwt≈ $1,204/hd at 873 lb · 50 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers$137.93/cwt≈ $714/hd at 518 lb · 42 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
3,437
2,532
1,912
Feeder cattle
863
201
860
Slaughter cattle
1,804
1,027
635
Replacement cattle
770
1,304
417
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were not well compared as last weeks sale focused mostly on weigh ups and bred cows. Feeder cattle today were of mostly plain quality. Most cattle were offered in very small packages or as singles. A lot of cut back calves off summer videos were seen this week. Not many buyers were on hand this sale as trucks remain very tight. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand for heavy offerings. An additional packer buyers was on hand this sale and buyers showed stronger demand as they competed over market share. The cutter cow cutout remains seasonally high as demand for ground beef is especially good. The cutter cow cutout was 230.21 as of todays close, 1.61 lower than yesterday. Packers were especially aggressive in buying feeding cows this week pushing them back to price levels seen two weeks ago before prices turned lower. Heavy supplies continue to be seen and packers continue to work through large supplies as cows and bull harvest has been running around 24,000-27,000 head per day nationally. Slaughter cows sold 1.00-3.00 higher on breaking cows, boning cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher, lean cows sold steady to 3.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-6.00 higher. Cow quality this week was very attractive with many high quality cows selling off reputation ranches. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to below average this week. Weigh conditions overall were more favorable to buyers and buyers bid more aggressively on high quality cows. Cows were mixed for flesh this week, however boning flesh cows continue to sell with the best demand as packers plan on feeding these cows to premium white. Thin feeding cow buyers were active this week to as buyers searched for cows to turn out on corn stalks in the corn belt or hold until the holidays. Buyers looking for ranch tested bred or cows they could test sold on good demand. These buyers were competitive with both packer buyers and other feeding buyers. Slaughter bulls sold steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Young age cows sold mostly 5.00-7.00 lower. Most of these offerings are being purchased for southern fall breeding programs.
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 week: Feeder cattle were not well compared as last weeks sale focused mostly on weigh ups and bred cows. Feeder cattle today were of mostly plain quality. Most cattle were offered in very small packages or as singles. A lot of cut back calves off summer videos were seen this week. Not many buyers were on hand this sale as trucks remain very tight. Weigh up cows sold on moderate demand for heavy offerings. An additional packer buyers was on hand this sale and buyers showed stronger demand as they competed over market share. The cutter cow cutout remains seasonally high as demand for ground beef is especially good. The cutter cow cutout was 230.21 as of todays close, 1.61 lower than yesterday. Packers were especially aggressive in buying feeding cows this week pushing them back to price levels seen two weeks ago before prices turned lower. Heavy supplies continue to be seen and packers continue to work through large supplies as cows and bull harvest has been running around 24,000-27,000 head per day nationally. Slaughter cows sold 1.00-3.00 higher on breaking cows, boning cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher, lean cows sold steady to 3.00 higher. Feeding cows sold mostly 2.00-6.00 higher. Cow quality this week was very attractive with many high quality cows selling off reputation ranches. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to below average this week. Weigh conditions overall were more favorable to buyers and buyers bid more aggressively on high quality cows. Cows were mixed for flesh this week, however boning flesh cows continue to sell with the best demand as packers plan on feeding these cows to premium white. Thin feeding cow buyers were active this week to as buyers searched for cows to turn out on corn stalks in the corn belt or hold until the holidays. Buyers looking for ranch tested bred or cows they could test sold on good demand. These buyers were competitive with both packer buyers and other feeding buyers. Slaughter bulls sold steady to firm in a narrow comparison. Young age cows sold mostly 5.00-7.00 lower. Most of these offerings are being purchased for southern fall breeding programs.