Compared to last week: Slaughter steers and heifers 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Holstein steers 5.00 to 7.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for steers and heifers, only moderate demand for Holstein steers. Packers were willing to spend more to buy cattle this week as they needed cattle to meet their needs as daily kill totals have reached 120,000 head, yet they were determined to not push the market too far. Estimated dressed cost 166.00-169.00, weighing conditions ranged from average to full. The overall quality of steers and heifers were very attractive as they were long time fed, high quality grading. 27 full loads of steers, 5 full loads of heifers, balance part loads and small packages. Slaughter cows steady to 3.00 lower compared to Monday, bulls 2.00 to 3.00 higher.
Slaughter lambs 10.00 to 15.00 higher. Feeder lambs not well tested. Slaughter ewes sold with sharply higher undertones compared to last week’s limited test. Good demand for slaughter lambs, the market was active. Moderate demand for the few feeder lambs. Very good demand for slaughter ewes.; Compared to last week: Slaughter steers and heifers 2.00 to 4.00 higher, Holstein steers steady to 3.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for this nice offering of very attractive, high quality grading steers and heifers. As daily slaughter totals have been around 120,000 packers were in need of cattle this week and had to compete a little harder to get some cattle bought. The highest prices were for those steers weighing under 1550 lbs. 17 full loads of steers offered, 2 full loads of heifers with the balance small packages and part loads. Two way buyers continue to buy cattle that need more days on feed as they are feeling more optimistic about the coming months in the market. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 5.00 lower, bulls 3.00 to 4.00 lower.
Slaughter lambs 10.00 to 14.00 higher. Feeder lambs not well compared. Slaughter ewes 15.00 to 25.00 lower. Good to very good demand for slaughter lambs, moderate for the few feeder lambs, light demand for slaughter ewes. Packer buyers were in need of slaughter lambs and competed heavily to get them bought which resulted in an active market. The ewe market was much less active as buyers were more reserved in their pursuit of ewes.
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: Slaughter steers and heifers 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Holstein steers 5.00 to 7.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for steers and heifers, only moderate demand for Holstein steers. Packers were willing to spend more to buy cattle this week as they needed cattle to meet their needs as daily kill totals have reached 120,000 head, yet they were determined to not push the market too far. Estimated dressed cost 166.00-169.00, weighing conditions ranged from average to full. The overall quality of steers and heifers were very attractive as they were long time fed, high quality grading. 27 full loads of steers, 5 full loads of heifers, balance part loads and small packages. Slaughter cows steady to 3.00 lower compared to Monday, bulls 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Slaughter lambs 10.00 to 15.00 higher. Feeder lambs not well tested. Slaughter ewes sold with sharply higher undertones compared to last week’s limited test. Good demand for slaughter lambs, the market was active. Moderate demand for the few feeder lambs. Very good demand for slaughter ewes.; Compared to last week: Slaughter steers and heifers 2.00 to 4.00 higher, Holstein steers steady to 3.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for this nice offering of very attractive, high quality grading steers and heifers. As daily slaughter totals have been around 120,000 packers were in need of cattle this week and had to compete a little harder to get some cattle bought. The highest prices were for those steers weighing under 1550 lbs. 17 full loads of steers offered, 2 full loads of heifers with the balance small packages and part loads. Two way buyers continue to buy cattle that need more days on feed as they are feeling more optimistic about the coming months in the market. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 5.00 lower, bulls 3.00 to 4.00 lower. Slaughter lambs 10.00 to 14.00 higher. Feeder lambs not well compared. Slaughter ewes 15.00 to 25.00 lower. Good to very good demand for slaughter lambs, moderate for the few feeder lambs, light demand for slaughter ewes. Packer buyers were in need of slaughter lambs and competed heavily to get them bought which resulted in an active market. The ewe market was much less active as buyers were more reserved in their pursuit of ewes.