Cattle Market Pulse

South Branch Valley Livestock Exchange Market Report

Moorefield, West Virginia · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 3, 2024

49 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 49 105 29
Feeder cattle 10 7 7
Slaughter cattle 26 31 16

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 130.00 $130.00 $533 —
505 505 1 150.00 $150.00 $758 —
630 630 1 140.00 $140.00 $882 —
685 685 1 127.50 $127.50 $873 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755 755 3 146.00 $146.00 $1,102 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
545 545 1 157.50 $157.50 $858 —
565 565 1 157.50 $157.50 $890 —
675 675 1 145.00 $145.00 $979 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1705 1352 80-85% 11 70.00–91.00 $84.13 $1,137 —
1380 1380 80-85% 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,325 +22.47
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
680–920 800 85-90% 2 20.00–21.00 $20.43 $163 —
1090 1090 85-90% 1 74.00 $74.00 $807 —
1055–1225 1140 85-90% 2 41.00–50.00 $45.84 $523 —
1020–1305 1210 85-90% 6 59.00–64.00 $61.36 $742 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1705 1705 75-80% 1 87.00 $87.00 $1,483 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1540–1815 1678 2 108.00–117.00 $112.87 $1,894 —

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Bucks

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
165 165 1 115.00 $115.00 $190 —

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Bucks Billies

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
85 85 1 135.00 $135.00 -135.00
90 90 1 135.00 $135.00 -135.00

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Ewes

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
100 100 1 70.00 $70.00 $70 —

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Lambs

Medium 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
48 48 1 140.00 $140.00 $67 —
61 61 6 195.00 $195.00 $119 —

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Nannies Does

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
70 70 1 125.00 $125.00 -35.00
85 85 1 145.00 $145.00 +50.00

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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.