light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers$219.87/cwt-6.34 vs last sale · ≈ $2,021/hd at 919 lb · 92 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers$244.80/cwt≈ $2,017/hd at 824 lb · 72 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 heifers$212.67/cwt-9.91 vs last sale · ≈ $2,065/hd at 971 lb · 55 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,278
647
1,103
Feeder cattle
954
217
724
Slaughter cattle
303
356
362
Replacement cattle
21
74
17
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last sale (7/31/24): The last sale was nearly a month ago so no true market comparisons can be made, however lower undertones were noticed on all offerings. CME positions took a nose dive at the end of July and the market has been adjusting to lower contract prices since then. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Many packages of yearlings were seen this week with some as big as a half a load. Flesh conditions were mostly light to moderate with most consignments coming off grass. Market activity was mostly active with active bidding seen both ringside as well as over the internet. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for light to moderate offerings. Packers showed lighter demand for all offerings this week. Slaughter cows sold 3.00-6.00 lower on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold 5.00-10.00 lower. Additional packer buyers that had been active in the market this summer were absent this sale and all cow prices moved lower as a result. Feeding cows sold on mostly good demand. Several private feeding cow buyers were in the market this week and helped keep prices from selling off sharply. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 5.00 lower. Cow quality this sale was mostly average. Yielding conditions continue to deteriorate as dry conditions and big calves are pulling cow yields. Most cows were in lower body condition scores than last sale. Weigh conditions overall were mixed but most cows were pushing heavy amounts of fill. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 4.00-6.00 lower. Feeding demand caused bulls to sell unevenly at times as feeding bull buyers were mostly looking for lighter weight lower yielding bulls to put on feed and packer buyers showed strong demand for all bulls for immediate harvest. Quality today was mostly average for all bulls on offer. Feeding bulls sold steady to 4.00 lower. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for very high quality offering was mostly good.
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 sale (7/31/24): The last sale was nearly a month ago so no true market comparisons can be made, however lower undertones were noticed on all offerings. CME positions took a nose dive at the end of July and the market has been adjusting to lower contract prices since then. Quality this week was mostly average to attractive. Many packages of yearlings were seen this week with some as big as a half a load. Flesh conditions were mostly light to moderate with most consignments coming off grass. Market activity was mostly active with active bidding seen both ringside as well as over the internet. Weigh up cows sold on mostly moderate to good demand for light to moderate offerings. Packers showed lighter demand for all offerings this week. Slaughter cows sold 3.00-6.00 lower on breaking cows, boning and lean cows sold 5.00-10.00 lower. Additional packer buyers that had been active in the market this summer were absent this sale and all cow prices moved lower as a result. Feeding cows sold on mostly good demand. Several private feeding cow buyers were in the market this week and helped keep prices from selling off sharply. Feeding cows sold mostly steady to 5.00 lower. Cow quality this sale was mostly average. Yielding conditions continue to deteriorate as dry conditions and big calves are pulling cow yields. Most cows were in lower body condition scores than last sale. Weigh conditions overall were mixed but most cows were pushing heavy amounts of fill. Slaughter bulls sold mostly 4.00-6.00 lower. Feeding demand caused bulls to sell unevenly at times as feeding bull buyers were mostly looking for lighter weight lower yielding bulls to put on feed and packer buyers showed strong demand for all bulls for immediate harvest. Quality today was mostly average for all bulls on offer. Feeding bulls sold steady to 4.00 lower. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed were too lightly tested to develop any market trend. Demand for very high quality offering was mostly good.