Compared to last week: Slaughter steers, heifers and Holsteins to few to make a meaningful comparison. In a very light test this week due to bitter cold and blowing snow on Tuesday fat cattle sold with higher undertones. Demand for this nice light offering of slaughter cattle was good. CME Live Cattle down while corn continues to climb higher. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 higher. Slaughter bulls to few to make a meaningful comparison.
Traditional slaughter weight sheep to few to make a meaningful comparison. Slaughter ewes to few to make a meaningful comparison. Very light auction due to cold and snow on Tuesday.
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, heifers and Holsteins to few to make a meaningful comparison. In a very light test this week due to bitter cold and blowing snow on Tuesday fat cattle sold with higher undertones. Demand for this nice light offering of slaughter cattle was good. CME Live Cattle down while corn continues to climb higher. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 higher. Slaughter bulls to few to make a meaningful comparison. Traditional slaughter weight sheep to few to make a meaningful comparison. Slaughter ewes to few to make a meaningful comparison. Very light auction due to cold and snow on Tuesday.