Compared to last week: Fed steers 2.00 to 5.00 higher, heifers 1.00 to 5.00 higher. Holsteins steady to slightly higher undertones, in a very light test last week. Demand for this eye appealing offering of slaughter cattle was good. Cattle grading Prime and Choice are in biggest demand. There is little evidence indicating consumers are switching to lower value products and away from the more expensive cuts. Not a good premium for no implant cattle. Nice weather has lots of farmers in the field, making the crowd in the seats a little lighter than normal. Report from April 1, stated, marketing of fed cattle totaled 1.98 million, 1% lower than the same time last year. Federally inspected beef production down nearly 5.9% or 320 million pounds year to date. Slaughter cows steady to 4.00 higher. Bulls steady.
Traditional weight slaughter lambs steady to 3.00 higher. Demand for this nice offering was good. Seeing less traditional weight lambs and more lighter weight. Several lots of lambs weighing 50 lbs - 90 lbs offered. The lighter weights sold fairly soft this week. Slaughter ewes Good 2-3 20.00 to 30.00 lower, Utility steady to 5.00 lower, Cull 10.00 to 15.00 lower while, Good 4-5 sold 5.00 to 15.00 higher. Black faced, thick built ewes were in higher demand.
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: Fed steers 2.00 to 5.00 higher, heifers 1.00 to 5.00 higher. Holsteins steady to slightly higher undertones, in a very light test last week. Demand for this eye appealing offering of slaughter cattle was good. Cattle grading Prime and Choice are in biggest demand. There is little evidence indicating consumers are switching to lower value products and away from the more expensive cuts. Not a good premium for no implant cattle. Nice weather has lots of farmers in the field, making the crowd in the seats a little lighter than normal. Report from April 1, stated, marketing of fed cattle totaled 1.98 million, 1% lower than the same time last year. Federally inspected beef production down nearly 5.9% or 320 million pounds year to date. Slaughter cows steady to 4.00 higher. Bulls steady. Traditional weight slaughter lambs steady to 3.00 higher. Demand for this nice offering was good. Seeing less traditional weight lambs and more lighter weight. Several lots of lambs weighing 50 lbs - 90 lbs offered. The lighter weights sold fairly soft this week. Slaughter ewes Good 2-3 20.00 to 30.00 lower, Utility steady to 5.00 lower, Cull 10.00 to 15.00 lower while, Good 4-5 sold 5.00 to 15.00 higher. Black faced, thick built ewes were in higher demand.