Compared to last week: Slaughter steers steady to 1.00 higher, heifers 1.00 lower, Holstein steers 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Demand for this light offering of attractive, mostly clean cattle was good. Boxed beef continues to be higher, Choice boxes 272.00, that is giving packers incentive to give more for fats. CME Live Market was lower today. Demand for this attractive offering of fat cattle was moderate. Weighing conditions were favorable as most cattle were hauled in over night. Most of the cattle were very clean, a few carried 1% of their weight in tag. Estimated dressed cost 193.00 to 198.00. Slaughter cows Breaker steady to 1.00 higher, Boner 1.00 higher, Lean 3.00 to 4.00 higher. Slaughter Bulls steady to 2.00 higher.
Traditional slaughter weight lambs 10.00 to 16.00 higher, lambs weighing 100-149 sold sharply higher this week. A few buyers speculate that this attractive sheep market will hold on for a few more weeks. Slaughter ewes Good 2-3 2.00 to 7.00 lower, Good 4-5 5.00 to 10.00 lower, Utility 1-2 15.00 to 20.00 lower, Cull 1 to few to make a meaningful comparison. Demand for this large offering of lambs and ewes was very good.
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 1.00 higher, heifers 1.00 lower, Holstein steers 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Demand for this light offering of attractive, mostly clean cattle was good. Boxed beef continues to be higher, Choice boxes 272.00, that is giving packers incentive to give more for fats. CME Live Market was lower today. Demand for this attractive offering of fat cattle was moderate. Weighing conditions were favorable as most cattle were hauled in over night. Most of the cattle were very clean, a few carried 1% of their weight in tag. Estimated dressed cost 193.00 to 198.00. Slaughter cows Breaker steady to 1.00 higher, Boner 1.00 higher, Lean 3.00 to 4.00 higher. Slaughter Bulls steady to 2.00 higher. Traditional slaughter weight lambs 10.00 to 16.00 higher, lambs weighing 100-149 sold sharply higher this week. A few buyers speculate that this attractive sheep market will hold on for a few more weeks. Slaughter ewes Good 2-3 2.00 to 7.00 lower, Good 4-5 5.00 to 10.00 lower, Utility 1-2 15.00 to 20.00 lower, Cull 1 to few to make a meaningful comparison. Demand for this large offering of lambs and ewes was very good.