Compared to last week: Feeder cattle offerings were scarcely tested today as todays sale featured pairs, bred cows and weigh up cows. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Packers showed very good demand for cows for immediate harvest with cows going to slaughter in several different states. Cows sold on mostly good demand for light to moderate offerings. Several packer buyers were present today with some buying over the internet. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher on all classes of cows going to harvest. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher, in a narrow comparison. Cow quality was average to attractive today. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to above average as many cows have been out on grass and were empty at sale time. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Very good demand was seen for bulls for immediate slaughter. Young age cows sold mostly 5.00 higher. Cows which lost calves sold with the best demand this week. Feeding quality cows sold at a discount to cows suitable to rebreed. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. A light offering of bred cows and pairs was seen today. Quality was mostly average. Many pairs were in thin flesh and high very light calves at side. With rain seen over the last few days demand for pairs was mostly moderate as buyers seemed reluctant to bid on young, light weight calves.
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 offerings were scarcely tested today as todays sale featured pairs, bred cows and weigh up cows. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light offerings. Packers showed very good demand for cows for immediate harvest with cows going to slaughter in several different states. Cows sold on mostly good demand for light to moderate offerings. Several packer buyers were present today with some buying over the internet. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-5.00 higher on all classes of cows going to harvest. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 3.00 higher, in a narrow comparison. Cow quality was average to attractive today. Weigh up conditions were mostly average to above average as many cows have been out on grass and were empty at sale time. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Very good demand was seen for bulls for immediate slaughter. Young age cows sold mostly 5.00 higher. Cows which lost calves sold with the best demand this week. Feeding quality cows sold at a discount to cows suitable to rebreed. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. A light offering of bred cows and pairs was seen today. Quality was mostly average. Many pairs were in thin flesh and high very light calves at side. With rain seen over the last few days demand for pairs was mostly moderate as buyers seemed reluctant to bid on young, light weight calves.