heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers$173.81/cwt-2.93 vs last sale · ≈ $1,170/hd at 673 lb · 645 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers$181.13/cwt-1.31 vs last sale · ≈ $1,410/hd at 778 lb · 618 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers$191.54/cwt+4.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,391/hd at 726 lb · 586 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
9,578
4,323
7,579
Feeder cattle
8,573
3,446
6,736
Slaughter cattle
1,005
877
843
Market comments — USDA reporter
No recent price comparisons to be made this week as there was only 1 auction the week prior to offer a comparison to. Most all auction locations were shut down, as they normally do for this week, but 2 locations did host an auction. Demand moderate to good, not nearly as good as was expected though on the lighter weight cattle as the severe winter storms that have plagued the state have left cattle producers reeling. Reports of cattle deaths, primarily light weight, light fleshed calves, and very difficult feeding conditions caused some cattle producers to sit out and not receive anymore calves for a bit. The extreme winds created huge drifts, as some areas had around 3 foot of snow, which creates a lot of work for producers to get dug out as hay stacks get buried and feedyard pens and corrals fill full of snow. This is always a week of limited feeder cattle offerings as most feeder cattle producers would rather wait a week and sell on that first week of the new year, rather than risking selling on a week when some cattle buyers won't be at the auction, however there were producers that wanted and needed to get cattle sold now rather than continue fighting the tough conditions. Very large auction receipts expected for the next several weeks, some locations have added a second sale date to accommodate the numbers of cattle being consigned. Slaughter cows 6.00 to 9.00 higher, bulls too few offered to compare.
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
No recent price comparisons to be made this week as there was only 1 auction the week prior to offer a comparison to. Most all auction locations were shut down, as they normally do for this week, but 2 locations did host an auction. Demand moderate to good, not nearly as good as was expected though on the lighter weight cattle as the severe winter storms that have plagued the state have left cattle producers reeling. Reports of cattle deaths, primarily light weight, light fleshed calves, and very difficult feeding conditions caused some cattle producers to sit out and not receive anymore calves for a bit. The extreme winds created huge drifts, as some areas had around 3 foot of snow, which creates a lot of work for producers to get dug out as hay stacks get buried and feedyard pens and corrals fill full of snow. This is always a week of limited feeder cattle offerings as most feeder cattle producers would rather wait a week and sell on that first week of the new year, rather than risking selling on a week when some cattle buyers won't be at the auction, however there were producers that wanted and needed to get cattle sold now rather than continue fighting the tough conditions. Very large auction receipts expected for the next several weeks, some locations have added a second sale date to accommodate the numbers of cattle being consigned. Slaughter cows 6.00 to 9.00 higher, bulls too few offered to compare.