Cattle Market Pulse

Sand Mountain Stockyards Inc. Market Report

Kilpatrick, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 31, 2024

519 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Sand Mountain Stockyards Inc. report →

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 519 1,017 387
Feeder cattle 492 965 366
Slaughter cattle 27 32 21
Replacement cattle — 20 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle sold 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder cattle sold sharply higher. Trade active with very good demand on feeders. Replacement cattle market lightly tested.

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
310–345 326 5 360.00–375.00 $365.21 $1,191 +50.21
360 360 1 360.00 $360.00 $1,296 —
400 400 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,240 +16.45
425 value added 425 2 340.00 $340.00 $1,445 +30.00
480 480 1 307.00 $307.00 $1,474 +17.47
483 value added 483 2 320.00 $320.00 $1,546 +13.00
502 value added 502 5 315.00 $315.00 $1,581 +20.00
520–535 525 3 287.00–295.00 $289.64 $1,521 +4.82
614 614 6 265.00 $265.00 $1,627 +21.39
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,239 —
510 510 1 275.00 $275.00 $1,402 +15.00
595 595 3 270.00 $270.00 $1,606 +28.97
714 714 7 232.00 $232.00 $1,656 +13.00
803 803 7 215.00 $215.00 $1,726 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 1 270.00 $270.00 $918 +16.63
355–390 374 5 262.00–275.00 $269.25 $1,007 +21.02
400–420 410 6 257.00–262.00 $259.95 $1,066 +20.83
451–495 469 9 245.00–255.00 $251.35 $1,179 +17.94
520–540 536 8 232.00–242.00 $237.64 $1,274 +8.45
555–585 565 3 225.00–230.00 $228.27 $1,290 +4.99
600 600 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,320 +22.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330 330 1 285.00 $285.00 $940 +21.01
365 365 1 285.00 $285.00 $1,040 +35.00
405–445 431 6 267.00–275.00 $272.45 $1,174 +25.66
455–470 460 3 262.00–265.00 $263.98 $1,214 +22.34
515 515 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,236 +1.61
555–560 558 2 232.00–234.00 $233.00 $1,300 +5.79

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–395 365 4 295.00–300.00 $297.57 $1,086 +15.04
405–435 424 7 270.00–280.00 $276.52 $1,172 +7.34
465–490 471 4 270.00–277.00 $273.97 $1,290 +9.21
525–545 533 6 255.00–262.00 $257.87 $1,374 +16.00
575–585 583 4 245.00–250.00 $248.77 $1,450 +16.67
615–625 620 2 235.00–238.00 $236.51 $1,466 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–330 328 2 320.00–335.00 $327.56 $1,074 +22.64
350–360 357 3 315.00–320.00 $318.36 $1,137 +21.68
400–415 407 3 285.00–292.00 $287.98 $1,172 +7.32
450–490 472 5 282.00–290.00 $285.24 $1,346 +17.46
505–525 513 4 265.00–282.00 $274.09 $1,406 +20.73
555–580 567 3 260.00–265.00 $263.34 $1,493 +21.10

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320 1320 80-85% 1 102.00 $102.00 $1,346 —
1250–1400 1323 80-85% 3 104.00–109.00 $106.61 $1,410 —
1405 1405 80-85% 1 115.00 $115.00 $1,616 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1400–1645 1523 75-80% 2 107.00–109.00 $107.92 $1,644 —
1570 1570 75-80% 1 112.00 $112.00 $1,758 —

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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.