Cattle Market Pulse

Sand Mountain Stockyards Inc. Market Report

Kilpatrick, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 17, 2025

592 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 2 heifers $345.35/cwt -2.68 vs last sale · ≈ $1,792/hd at 519 lb · 14 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 2 heifers $321.61/cwt -13.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,862/hd at 579 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 592 587 309
Feeder cattle 343 556 261
Slaughter cattle 21 17 25
Replacement cattle 228 14 23

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle sold sharply higher. Feeder cattle sold steady to 5.00 higher. Trade active with good demand on feeders. Replacement cattle sold firm with the greatest demand on bred heifers.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
265 265 1 460.00 $460.00 $1,219 +15.00
330–335 333 2 425.00–430.00 $427.52 $1,424 +7.55
375–395 383 4 410.00–420.00 $414.97 $1,589 +4.97
410–440 423 4 390.00–405.00 $394.99 $1,671 -6.68
450–495 474 7 365.00–380.00 $374.89 $1,777 +15.85
500–540 519 14 340.00–350.00 $345.35 $1,792 -2.68
550–595 579 12 315.00–330.00 $321.61 $1,862 -13.39
635 635 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,968 -11.65
660–680 670 4 295.00–310.00 $301.20 $2,018 +11.08
745 745 1 285.00 $285.00 $2,123 +10.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225–240 233 2 495.00–500.00 $497.58 $1,159 +37.58
315–333 325 4 440.00–450.00 $444.88 $1,446 -0.12
370–395 377 6 425.00–435.00 $429.25 $1,618 +0.31
405–415 408 3 410.00–425.00 $418.39 $1,707 +1.67
450 fancy 450 1 435.00 $435.00 $1,958 —
450–475 463 4 390.00–405.00 $397.58 $1,841 +22.58
510–525 515 6 355.00–370.00 $360.81 $1,858 -2.96
550–575 563 2 345.00–350.00 $347.44 $1,956 -5.92
600–620 611 5 320.00–330.00 $326.01 $1,992 -10.63
710 710 2 300.00 $300.00 $2,130 —
755 755 4 310.00 $310.00 $2,340 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
285 285 1 505.00 $505.00 $1,439 +30.00
305–340 325 3 490.00–495.00 $493.26 $1,603 +33.21
355–395 372 5 460.00–475.00 $467.80 $1,740 +37.80
420–435 428 5 425.00–440.00 $431.02 $1,845 +12.66
455 455 2 400.00–415.00 $407.50 $1,854 +1.77
510–530 521 7 365.00–380.00 $373.55 $1,946 +3.57
550–585 564 4 345.00–360.00 $351.20 $1,981 +2.15
610–645 628 3 310.00–320.00 $314.96 $1,978 -7.98
660–690 672 3 280.00–295.00 $284.91 $1,915 -0.02
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
240 240 1 520.00 $520.00 $1,248 —
320–345 333 2 500.00 $500.00 $1,665 +19.94
360–365 362 3 495.00–500.00 $498.34 $1,804 +32.24
400–445 426 5 445.00–450.00 $449.00 $1,913 +6.48
460–465 463 2 425.00–440.00 $432.54 $2,003 +7.58
500–530 514 9 385.00–400.00 $390.48 $2,007 -3.39
550–560 556 4 365.00–380.00 $373.74 $2,078 +7.34
600 600 1 340.00 $340.00 $2,040 -5.12
715 715 1 290.00 $290.00 $2,074 -2.45

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820–1525 1168 80-85% 5 151.00–158.00 $154.63 $1,806 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1070 1053 85-90% 2 122.00–125.00 $123.52 $1,301 —
1110 1110 85-90% 1 145.00 $145.00 $1,610 —
1075–1255 1165 85-90% 2 135.00–136.00 $135.54 $1,579 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1425 1425 75-80% 1 176.00 $176.00 $2,508 —
1545 1545 75-80% 1 154.00 $154.00 $2,379 —
1555 1555 75-80% 1 165.00 $165.00 $2,566 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–1660 1440 2 172.00–175.00 $173.73 $2,502 —
1465–1650 1543 3 156.00–161.00 $158.90 $2,452 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 7 2,050.00–2,400.00 $2,278.57
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,800.00 $2,800.00
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,900.00–2,000.00 $1,933.33

↑ Back to top

Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— fancy — Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 7 4,000.00–4,500.00 $4,357.14
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 35 3,000.00–3,300.00 $3,160.00
— — Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 76 3,400.00–3,800.00 $3,668.42
Small 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 30 2,500.00–2,850.00 $2,628.33

↑ Back to top

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 1 3,000.00 $3,000.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.