Compared to last week: Too few slaughter steers and heifers offered last week to make a good comparison, steady to higher undertones were evident. Good demand for this nice offering of long time fed, high quality grading steers and heifers. The market was active, in spite of the CME Live Cattle futures at only 180.00, as packers were ready and willing to give more money to buy these high Choice steers and heifers. Heavy live weights are no deterrent as these steers and heifers quality grade so high, packers will pay top prices to buy them. Some direct sales Tuesday in Iowa and Nebraska at 186.00 and 298.00, the market at the auction was sure higher than that. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher, bulls higher undertones. The cow market was extremely active as packer buyers were competing heavily to get their needs secured. The high yielding bulls are bringing within a few dollars per cwt as what the fat steers and heifers bring.
A much larger sheep offering after last week's winter storm reduced receipts, steady to higher undertones for all weights of lambs and for all grades of slaughter ewes. Very good demand for slaughter lambs, good demand for 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: Too few slaughter steers and heifers offered last week to make a good comparison, steady to higher undertones were evident. Good demand for this nice offering of long time fed, high quality grading steers and heifers. The market was active, in spite of the CME Live Cattle futures at only 180.00, as packers were ready and willing to give more money to buy these high Choice steers and heifers. Heavy live weights are no deterrent as these steers and heifers quality grade so high, packers will pay top prices to buy them. Some direct sales Tuesday in Iowa and Nebraska at 186.00 and 298.00, the market at the auction was sure higher than that. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher, bulls higher undertones. The cow market was extremely active as packer buyers were competing heavily to get their needs secured. The high yielding bulls are bringing within a few dollars per cwt as what the fat steers and heifers bring. A much larger sheep offering after last week's winter storm reduced receipts, steady to higher undertones for all weights of lambs and for all grades of slaughter ewes. Very good demand for slaughter lambs, good demand for ewes.