heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers$142.67/cwt+11.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,213/hd at 850 lb · 30 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
3,302
2,730
3,651
Feeder cattle
458
477
989
Slaughter cattle
1,906
1,614
1,617
Replacement cattle
938
639
1,045
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Yearling feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Feeder calves were not well tested. Demand for yearlings was mostly good on light offerings. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for heavy offerings. Over 2,500 head of cows sold in todays offering. The majority of the cow offering sold as feeding cows this week. Demand for boning flesh cows and young cows was very good as both packers and feeding buyers purchased these cows to feed to premium white. Feeding cows sold 1.00-4.00 higher on these type offerings. Packer buyers opted to only purchase extremely lame or cows with major blemishes to send to slaughter. Both packers and feeding buyers purchased cows with slight blemishes to feed until the market improves. A heavy offering of thin cows was seen this sale. Thin feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. Cow quality this week was average to attractive. Feeding buyers continue to be active in purchasing very thin cows. These offerings offer lots of compensatory gain. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Competition with feeding buyers helped keep offerings steady. Young age cows sold mostly steady to weak. Many long strings of open 2-4 year old cows were seen this week. Breed up conditions this summer were mostly below average due to poor water quality and limited forage due to the drought. 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: Yearling feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however higher undertones were noticed. Feeder calves were not well tested. Demand for yearlings was mostly good on light offerings. Market activity was mostly moderate. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate demand for heavy offerings. Over 2,500 head of cows sold in todays offering. The majority of the cow offering sold as feeding cows this week. Demand for boning flesh cows and young cows was very good as both packers and feeding buyers purchased these cows to feed to premium white. Feeding cows sold 1.00-4.00 higher on these type offerings. Packer buyers opted to only purchase extremely lame or cows with major blemishes to send to slaughter. Both packers and feeding buyers purchased cows with slight blemishes to feed until the market improves. A heavy offering of thin cows was seen this sale. Thin feeding cows sold steady to 2.00 higher. Cow quality this week was average to attractive. Feeding buyers continue to be active in purchasing very thin cows. These offerings offer lots of compensatory gain. Slaughter bulls sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Competition with feeding buyers helped keep offerings steady. Young age cows sold mostly steady to weak. Many long strings of open 2-4 year old cows were seen this week. Breed up conditions this summer were mostly below average due to poor water quality and limited forage due to the drought. Most of these offerings are being purchased for southern fall breeding programs.