Compared to last week: Feeder cattle were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Todays sale featured mostly weigh up cows, pairs and breds, so not trend is available. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher on all classes. The cow supply across much of the central US continues to tighten as rain has fallen across a wide swath of the country which has eased culling due to drought. Seasonal culling is starting to wrap up as ranchers wrap up spring brandings. Packers were very aggressive as they purchased cows both for immediate harvest and to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher as packers purchased very attractive cows for this purpose. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Weigh up conditions were average to above average this week as most offerings have been out on grass. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 10.00 lower. Quality was average to attractive. Fewer takers were seen for this class of cows as many are starting to turn out bulls for summer breeding. Todays pair offering was average to very attractive in quality. Demand for pairs was good to very good with more buyer participation noted compared to the last pair special on 5-10-23. Many comparable sets of pairs sold $100-250 per pair higher than that sale.
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 too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Todays sale featured mostly weigh up cows, pairs and breds, so not trend is available. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Slaughter cows sold 2.00-4.00 higher on all classes. The cow supply across much of the central US continues to tighten as rain has fallen across a wide swath of the country which has eased culling due to drought. Seasonal culling is starting to wrap up as ranchers wrap up spring brandings. Packers were very aggressive as they purchased cows both for immediate harvest and to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher as packers purchased very attractive cows for this purpose. Quality this week was average to very attractive. Weigh up conditions were average to above average this week as most offerings have been out on grass. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 2.00-4.00 higher. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold mostly 10.00 lower. Quality was average to attractive. Fewer takers were seen for this class of cows as many are starting to turn out bulls for summer breeding. Todays pair offering was average to very attractive in quality. Demand for pairs was good to very good with more buyer participation noted compared to the last pair special on 5-10-23. Many comparable sets of pairs sold $100-250 per pair higher than that sale.