Compared to last week: Slaughter steers under 1600 lbs mostly 2.00 lower, over 1600 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Slaughter heifers 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Holstein steers 2.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand only moderate this week as packer buyers were determined to buy cattle in line with, or lower, than the Oct CME Live Cattle futures. There were many full loads of very eye appealing, high quality grading steers and heifers on offer. Two way buyers helped to support the market from falling further, even on the heavy cattle, as they were quick to act and step in to buy cattle that either needed some feed yet or just looked too cheap. Weighing conditions ran towards the full side, estimated dressed cost ranged mostly from 162.00-165.00. Slaughter cows and bulls steady with Monday’s sale.
Slaughter lambs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, feeder lambs not well compared, slaughter ewes 8.00 to 10.00 higher. Good to very good demand remains for slaughter lambs as the market was active. Only a couple strings of feeder lambs offered but were met by good demand. Very good demand for slaughter 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 under 1600 lbs mostly 2.00 lower, over 1600 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 lower. Slaughter heifers 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Holstein steers 2.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Demand only moderate this week as packer buyers were determined to buy cattle in line with, or lower, than the Oct CME Live Cattle futures. There were many full loads of very eye appealing, high quality grading steers and heifers on offer. Two way buyers helped to support the market from falling further, even on the heavy cattle, as they were quick to act and step in to buy cattle that either needed some feed yet or just looked too cheap. Weighing conditions ran towards the full side, estimated dressed cost ranged mostly from 162.00-165.00. Slaughter cows and bulls steady with Monday’s sale. Slaughter lambs 3.00 to 5.00 higher, feeder lambs not well compared, slaughter ewes 8.00 to 10.00 higher. Good to very good demand remains for slaughter lambs as the market was active. Only a couple strings of feeder lambs offered but were met by good demand. Very good demand for slaughter ewes.