Cattle Market Pulse

Roanoke Stockyards Market Report

Roanoke, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 13, 2023

872 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Roanoke Stockyards report →

light 4-weight M&L 1 bulls $270.20/cwt +13.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,178/hd at 436 lb · 17 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 2 heifers $215.00/cwt +3.26 vs last sale · ≈ $1,038/hd at 483 lb · 17 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 bulls $235.44/cwt ≈ $1,222/hd at 519 lb · 13 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 872 1,303 1,420
Feeder cattle 683 1,089 1,015
Slaughter cattle 150 165 277
Replacement cattle 39 49 128

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Feeder steers sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. feeder heifers sold 3.00 to 6.00 higher, feeder bulls sold 8.00 to 10.00 higher, Slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 3.00 lower, slaughter bulls sold steady to 1.00 lower. Replacement cows and pairs sold mostly steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 3 272.00 $272.00 $1,170 +7.70
480 480 2 262.00 $262.00 $1,258 +2.47
515–545 527 5 248.00–250.00 $249.17 $1,313 -1.47
565 565 1 248.00 $248.00 $1,401 —
615–635 632 12 233.00–238.00 $233.65 $1,477 —
655 655 1 228.00 $228.00 $1,493 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 2 275.00 $275.00 $935 —
370 370 1 262.00 $262.00 $969 +2.00
435 435 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,109 -1.79
510–540 533 6 240.00–246.00 $241.46 $1,287 -0.75
560–585 578 5 230.00–240.00 $237.62 $1,373 +5.66
645 645 2 220.00–229.00 $224.50 $1,448 +8.26
660–695 678 2 212.00–220.00 $215.90 $1,464 —
705 705 1 196.00 $196.00 $1,382 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,092 -0.79
525 525 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,208 -1.30
645 645 3 210.00 $210.00 $1,354 -0.32

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–275 272 3 240.00–242.00 $240.65 $655 —
305–330 312 5 230.00–238.00 $235.10 $734 +13.34
360–390 370 11 225.00–235.00 $231.60 $857 +12.43
415–440 433 9 216.00–224.00 $220.44 $955 +7.49
460–490 483 17 210.00–218.00 $215.00 $1,038 +3.26
505–530 516 8 200.00–205.00 $203.09 $1,048 -0.62
565–595 579 8 195.00–205.00 $198.68 $1,150 +0.71
605–645 625 6 190.00–192.00 $190.97 $1,194 +5.37
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 2 257.00 $257.00 $617 —
265–295 281 5 244.00–250.00 $247.62 $696 +12.54
305–330 316 9 240.00–250.00 $243.47 $769 +10.61
360–375 369 8 236.00–248.00 $239.95 $885 +10.61
405–440 423 9 226.00–233.00 $227.88 $964 -0.13
455–490 484 10 220.00–228.00 $221.33 $1,071 -3.05
505–515 510 12 208.00–216.00 $211.00 $1,076 -5.55
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
255–290 273 2 225.00–230.00 $227.66 $622 +7.66
325 325 1 225.00 $225.00 $731 +12.38
370–380 379 9 220.00–222.00 $220.22 $835 +9.95
425 425 1 210.00 $210.00 $892 +3.53
475 475 1 205.00 $205.00 $974 +1.55
515–525 518 3 190.00–195.00 $193.31 $1,001 +2.34
625–645 635 4 175.00–185.00 $179.96 $1,143 -0.04
665 665 2 175.00 $175.00 $1,164 -3.98

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265–285 278 3 278.00–280.00 $279.37 $777 -0.63
310–345 336 8 270.00–280.00 $274.23 $921 —
355–375 362 9 270.00–274.00 $271.38 $982 +11.38
410–445 436 17 266.00–276.00 $270.20 $1,178 +13.58
455–495 470 10 260.00–270.00 $266.17 $1,251 +10.98
505–540 519 13 230.00–240.00 $235.44 $1,222 —
555–560 557 3 225.00–230.00 $228.32 $1,272 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 2 268.00 $268.00 $871 —
380–385 381 7 260.00–265.00 $262.72 $1,001 +14.60
405–435 415 7 256.00–264.00 $260.52 $1,081 +19.22
460–495 476 5 248.00–256.00 $250.86 $1,194 +8.89
525–535 529 8 220.00–228.00 $224.00 $1,185 -1.00
565–575 568 4 218.00–220.00 $218.51 $1,241 —
605–635 620 10 200.00–210.00 $203.15 $1,260 +5.15
680–690 683 4 192.00–195.00 $194.24 $1,327 —
710–715 713 2 183.00–188.00 $185.51 $1,323 +0.90
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 1 260.00 $260.00 $598 ±0.00
330–340 335 2 250.00–252.00 $251.01 $841 +1.01
365 365 3 250.00 $250.00 $912 +10.32
435–445 440 8 245.00–250.00 $247.53 $1,089 +15.84
475–490 483 2 238.00–240.00 $239.02 $1,154 +6.00
515 515 2 210.00 $210.00 $1,082 -7.99
565–590 580 3 205.00–207.00 $206.01 $1,195 +4.36
645 645 5 190.00–195.00 $194.00 $1,251 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920–1365 1096 80-85% 26 86.00–91.00 $88.15 $966 -3.13
870–1425 1144 80-85% 28 92.00–97.00 $94.21 $1,078 -2.93
990–1330 1198 80-85% 9 98.00–100.00 $98.43 $1,179 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805–1055 899 85-90% 7 72.00–77.00 $75.04 $675 —
980 980 85-90% 3 86.00 $86.00 $843 +3.58
890–1135 993 85-90% 11 78.00–83.00 $81.17 $806 -1.25
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1645 1442 75-80% 9 86.00–91.00 $88.91 $1,282 -8.81
1375–1610 1513 75-80% 9 92.00–97.00 $93.95 $1,421 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1520–1902 1759 3 107.00–110.00 $108.43 $1,907 —
1410–2250 1838 3 112.00–114.00 $113.07 $2,078 —
1920 1920 1 118.00 $118.00 $2,266 ±0.00

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,375.00–1,525.00 $1,475.00
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 15 1,200.00–1,450.00 $1,345.00
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,275.00–1,400.00 $1,358.33

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 12 1,275.00–1,500.00 $1,383.33 —
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,000.00 $1,000.00 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

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.