Compared to last week: Slaughter steers steady to 1.00 lower, heifers steady to 2.00 lower, Holstein steers 3.00 to 8.00 lower. Demand for this light offering of hard feed, mostly clean cattle was good. Boxed beef continues to rise and set a record this month. CME Live Cattle was down again today. Colder temperatures in the Midwest corn belt are slowing the planting progress. If grains continue to rally it will put more pressure on cattle feeders to sell earlier than they normally would. 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 192.00 to 195.00. Slaughter cows Breaker steady to 1.00 lower, Boner 1.00 to 3.00 lower, Lean steady to 2.00 lower. Bulls in a very light test steady to 1.00 lower.
Very light test of traditional slaughter weight lambs, to few to make a meaningful comparison. Lambs weighing 100-150lbs were 4.00 to 5.00 higher. Non traditional weights have been the majority of the lambs sold in the last few weeks. Demand for this large offering was good. Slaughter Ewes Good 4-5 and Utility 1-2 7.00 to 10.00 lower, Good 2-3 12.00 to 15.00 lower, Cull 1 to few to make a meaningful comparison.
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 lower, heifers steady to 2.00 lower, Holstein steers 3.00 to 8.00 lower. Demand for this light offering of hard feed, mostly clean cattle was good. Boxed beef continues to rise and set a record this month. CME Live Cattle was down again today. Colder temperatures in the Midwest corn belt are slowing the planting progress. If grains continue to rally it will put more pressure on cattle feeders to sell earlier than they normally would. 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 192.00 to 195.00. Slaughter cows Breaker steady to 1.00 lower, Boner 1.00 to 3.00 lower, Lean steady to 2.00 lower. Bulls in a very light test steady to 1.00 lower. Very light test of traditional slaughter weight lambs, to few to make a meaningful comparison. Lambs weighing 100-150lbs were 4.00 to 5.00 higher. Non traditional weights have been the majority of the lambs sold in the last few weeks. Demand for this large offering was good. Slaughter Ewes Good 4-5 and Utility 1-2 7.00 to 10.00 lower, Good 2-3 12.00 to 15.00 lower, Cull 1 to few to make a meaningful comparison.