light 9-weight M&L 1 steers$242.64/cwt+7.70 vs last sale · ≈ $2,237/hd at 922 lb · 1,290 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers$233.73/cwt+7.85 vs last sale · ≈ $2,277/hd at 974 lb · 860 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers$245.52/cwt-6.59 vs last sale · ≈ $2,018/hd at 822 lb · 668 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
8,685
9,306
4,499
Feeder cattle
7,631
8,189
3,617
Slaughter cattle
1,054
1,117
882
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder steers 2.00 to 6.00 higher, except over 1000 lbs steady to 2.00 higher, heifers 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Very good demand for yearling steers and heifers as the cattle futures contracts keeping moving higher. Cash fed cattle higher this week, up to 191.50 in Nebraska, leaving a positive basis of more than 10.00 above the spot Live Cattle month of August. Cattle feeders are feeling incredibly bullish as Aug futures touched 180.00 this week, a level that did not seem possible this spring. Grass yearlings are still turned out, as there is no rush to sell unless grass gets short, as Sept and Oct Feeder Cattle futures are about 5.00 higher than Aug. Most of the yearlings being offered for sale in the auctions are feedyard backgrounded. Slaughter cows unevenly steady, bulls 2.00 lower.
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
Compared to last week: Feeder steers 2.00 to 6.00 higher, except over 1000 lbs steady to 2.00 higher, heifers 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Very good demand for yearling steers and heifers as the cattle futures contracts keeping moving higher. Cash fed cattle higher this week, up to 191.50 in Nebraska, leaving a positive basis of more than 10.00 above the spot Live Cattle month of August. Cattle feeders are feeling incredibly bullish as Aug futures touched 180.00 this week, a level that did not seem possible this spring. Grass yearlings are still turned out, as there is no rush to sell unless grass gets short, as Sept and Oct Feeder Cattle futures are about 5.00 higher than Aug. Most of the yearlings being offered for sale in the auctions are feedyard backgrounded. Slaughter cows unevenly steady, bulls 2.00 lower.