Cattle Market Pulse

South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange Market Report

Moorefield, West Virginia · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 4, 2023

65 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 65 50 58
Feeder cattle 16 5 18
Slaughter cattle 29 25 22

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slow day of light trading on a light run, few more head in the run than last reported. No market test on Feeders due to a wide variety of quality and buyer interest. Slaughter Cattle lower this week, Cows by $8-$12 lower per cwt and Bulls lowering by $5. A better market test for those interested will be this Saturday's Special Feeder Cattle sale.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835 835 1 103.00 $103.00 $860 —
860 860 1 103.00 $103.00 $886 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1880 1880 1 85.00 $85.00 $1,598 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1465 1370 4 83.00–91.00 $85.24 $1,168 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 188.00 $188.00 $564 —
675 675 1 121.00 $121.00 $817 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
580 580 1 195.00 $195.00 $1,131 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375 375 1 154.00 $154.00 $578 —
420–440 430 2 121.00–169.00 $144.44 $621 —
805 805 1 145.00 $145.00 $1,167 —
925 925 1 151.00 $151.00 $1,397 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–920 918 85-90% 2 79.00–86.00 $82.49 $757 —
865–1330 1097 85-90% 3 45.00–55.00 $49.12 $539 -35.81
1045–1210 1148 85-90% 3 53.00–65.00 $60.55 $695 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–1255 1083 80-85% 2 65.00–81.00 $71.73 $777 —
1110–1235 1173 80-85% 2 75.00–91.00 $82.57 $969 —
1150–1270 1210 80-85% 2 55.00–64.00 $59.72 $723 -34.39
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1290–1535 1378 75-80% 4 61.00–81.00 $72.25 $996 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1535 1535 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,857 —
1465–1800 1633 2 21.00–95.00 $61.80 $1,009 —
1565–2175 1835 3 101.00–117.00 $111.59 $2,048 —

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Bucks Billies

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
75 75 1 180.00 $180.00 —
80 80 1 150.00 $150.00 —
145 145 1 280.00 $280.00 —

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Wooled

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
70 70 3 190.00 $190.00 $133 +1.00
84 84 13 190.00 $190.00 $160 +1.00
115 115 1 184.00 $184.00 $212 —

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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.