light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers$305.60/cwt-16.15 vs last sale · ≈ $2,813/hd at 921 lb · 685 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers$328.98/cwt-11.23 vs last sale · ≈ $2,671/hd at 812 lb · 210 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers$317.45/cwt-11.88 vs last sale · ≈ $2,778/hd at 875 lb · 151 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
3,591
6,229
7,986
Feeder cattle
2,796
4,965
7,306
Slaughter cattle
795
1,264
680
Market comments — USDA reporter
Feeder cattle offerings too limited to make full, complete price comparisons, lower undertones prevailed. Moderate to good demand for yearlings this week as the CME Live and Feeder Cattle contracts took on a bearish tone. Cash fed cattle retreating as well, down to 230.00, is causing great concern amongst cattle feeders as most cattle need 250.00 to break even. Hot weather this week caused some auction markets to cancel their feeder cattle sales as the high heat index is too hard on the cattle.
→ Feeder cattle: Feeder cattle offerings too limited to make full
600–649 lb Medium and Large 1 steers — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.
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.
Cattle Market
Feeder cattle offerings too limited to make full, complete price comparisons, lower undertones prevailed. Moderate to good demand for yearlings this week as the CME Live and Feeder Cattle contracts took on a bearish tone. Cash fed cattle retreating as well, down to 230.00, is causing great concern amongst cattle feeders as most cattle need 250.00 to break even. Hot weather this week caused some auction markets to cancel their feeder cattle sales as the high heat index is too hard on the cattle.