light 9-weight M&L 1 steers$239.92/cwt-6.95 vs last sale · ≈ $2,229/hd at 929 lb · 1,431 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers$221.91/cwt+0.94 vs last sale · ≈ $2,042/hd at 920 lb · 1,277 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers$233.90/cwt-2.37 vs last sale · ≈ $2,288/hd at 978 lb · 1,226 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
21,245
22,199
20,229
Feeder cattle
20,571
20,369
18,791
Slaughter cattle
674
1,830
1,438
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Yearling feeder steers 3.00 to 7.00 lower, yearling heifers 3.00 to 4.00 lower. First big test of spring calves this week, no price comparison available, as western SD cow/calf producers are beginning their marketing for this year. The futures complex has put considerable pressure on the market as the fall and winter Live Cattle contract months don't have the luster that they once had. Yearling cattle were purchased at very high price levels throughout the summer and now with those contract months only being in the 180s there is concern that the fat market might not reach the breakeven prices those cattle feeders need. Cash fed cattle have been able to hang around the 183.00-184.00 mark, but that basis level is greatly narrower than it has been throughout the rest of the year. The feeder market is still very active but it's not near as fast as what it was. There is great interest in buying these new crop, spring calves. Farmer feeders are in the fields finishing up bean harvest and starting on corn, but those that want to buy calves early have their orders in and the market is stout. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 higher, bulls 5.00 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: Yearling feeder steers 3.00 to 7.00 lower, yearling heifers 3.00 to 4.00 lower. First big test of spring calves this week, no price comparison available, as western SD cow/calf producers are beginning their marketing for this year. The futures complex has put considerable pressure on the market as the fall and winter Live Cattle contract months don't have the luster that they once had. Yearling cattle were purchased at very high price levels throughout the summer and now with those contract months only being in the 180s there is concern that the fat market might not reach the breakeven prices those cattle feeders need. Cash fed cattle have been able to hang around the 183.00-184.00 mark, but that basis level is greatly narrower than it has been throughout the rest of the year. The feeder market is still very active but it's not near as fast as what it was. There is great interest in buying these new crop, spring calves. Farmer feeders are in the fields finishing up bean harvest and starting on corn, but those that want to buy calves early have their orders in and the market is stout. Slaughter cows steady to 1.00 higher, bulls 5.00 lower.