Compared to last week: Slaughter steers steady to 2.00 lower, heifers steady to 1.00 higher, Holstein steers 3.00 lower. Demand for this lighter offering of attractive, hard fed cattle light to moderate. Two way buyers stepped up to purchase cattle that looked to be of value today. The quality of the cattle was eye appealing as well as the weighing conditions as most cattle arrived over night. The continued warm weather has made it challenging to keep the cattle clean resulting in several cattle carrying 1% of their weight in tag. Estimated dressed cost 175.00 to 181.00 Slaughter cows steady to 3.00 higher, except Lean cows making a full advance 4.00 to 6.00 higher. Slaughter Bulls to few to make a meaningful comparison.
Traditional slaughter weight lambs 6.00 to 9.00 higher, few instances of 1.00 to 2.00 lower on lambs over 150 lbs. Non traditional lambs sold with unevenly steady undertones. Slaughter ewes Good 2-3 10.00 to 15.00 lower, Good 4-5 2.00 to 5.00 lower, Utility 1-2 5.00 to 10.00 lower, Cull 1 10.00 lower. Demand was good for this nice offering of lambs and 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 steady to 2.00 lower, heifers steady to 1.00 higher, Holstein steers 3.00 lower. Demand for this lighter offering of attractive, hard fed cattle light to moderate. Two way buyers stepped up to purchase cattle that looked to be of value today. The quality of the cattle was eye appealing as well as the weighing conditions as most cattle arrived over night. The continued warm weather has made it challenging to keep the cattle clean resulting in several cattle carrying 1% of their weight in tag. Estimated dressed cost 175.00 to 181.00 Slaughter cows steady to 3.00 higher, except Lean cows making a full advance 4.00 to 6.00 higher. Slaughter Bulls to few to make a meaningful comparison. Traditional slaughter weight lambs 6.00 to 9.00 higher, few instances of 1.00 to 2.00 lower on lambs over 150 lbs. Non traditional lambs sold with unevenly steady undertones. Slaughter ewes Good 2-3 10.00 to 15.00 lower, Good 4-5 2.00 to 5.00 lower, Utility 1-2 5.00 to 10.00 lower, Cull 1 10.00 lower. Demand was good for this nice offering of lambs and ewes.