Cattle Market Pulse

South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange Market Report

Moorefield, West Virginia · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 19, 2023

43 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange report →

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 43 74 30
Feeder cattle 15 — 17
Slaughter cattle 20 17 13

Market comments — USDA reporter

**Correction: 110lb slaughter cow deleted.** Special Feeder Sale this Saturday 4/22/23 & 4/29/23

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
200 200 1 162.50 $162.50 $325 —
515 515 1 211.00 $211.00 $1,087 —
665 665 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,064 —
705 705 1 125.00 $125.00 $881 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 1 140.00 $140.00 $539 —
420–425 423 2 106.00–131.00 $118.57 $502 —
490 490 1 123.00 $123.00 $603 —
625 625 1 121.00 $121.00 $756 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 1 151.00 $151.00 $883 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
600 600 1 115.00 $115.00 $690 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 2 144.00–164.00 $154.00 $531 —
535 535 1 137.50 $137.50 $736 —
725 725 1 110.00 $110.00 $798 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940 940 85-90% 1 33.00 $33.00 $310 —
1085–1225 1147 85-90% 3 43.00–55.00 $49.08 $563 —
930–1380 1208 85-90% 5 59.00–67.00 $63.58 $768 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140 1140 80-85% 1 65.00 $65.00 $741 +5.00
1140–1670 1363 80-85% 5 65.00–95.00 $83.97 $1,145 +57.97

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1545–1810 1659 4 91.00–132.00 $111.13 $1,844 +19.11

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Bucks Billies

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
50 50 1 62.50 $62.50 -55.00

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Ewes

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
175 175 1 51.00 $51.00 $89 —
165–198 186 3 62.00–76.00 $70.40 $131 —

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Lambs

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
28 28 2 175.00 $175.00 $49 —

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Nannies Does

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
70 70 1 160.00 $160.00 +50.00
90 90 1 190.00 $190.00 +80.00

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

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.