light 9-weight M&L 1 steers$239.12/cwt-2.77 vs last sale · ≈ $2,217/hd at 927 lb · 1,605 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers$257.52/cwt-5.99 vs last sale · ≈ $2,122/hd at 824 lb · 1,335 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers$243.71/cwt-0.54 vs last sale · ≈ $1,893/hd at 777 lb · 1,078 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
16,509
8,254
7,046
Feeder cattle
15,393
8,049
6,651
Slaughter cattle
1,116
205
395
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder steers steady to 5.00 lower, instances to 10.00 lower. Feeder heifers steady to 5.00 lower, instances of 10.00 to 20.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for steers and heifers. The weakness in the futures market was too much for cattle producers to just brush off as they did the week before. Cash fed cattle felt the pressure from the board as well and were lower as well. The extreme bullishness that many cattle producers possessed has been dealt a large blow as this is the time of year where fed cattle supplies normally are the tightest and now the futures have gone the opposite direction. Grass is starting to green, and numbers of grass type cattle are more limited but with the Feeder Cattle futures for the fall months at 250.00, instead of the 270.00 level where they were at, is forcing backgrounders and feeders to readjust their plans. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher, bulls much higher undertone.
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 steady to 5.00 lower, instances to 10.00 lower. Feeder heifers steady to 5.00 lower, instances of 10.00 to 20.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for steers and heifers. The weakness in the futures market was too much for cattle producers to just brush off as they did the week before. Cash fed cattle felt the pressure from the board as well and were lower as well. The extreme bullishness that many cattle producers possessed has been dealt a large blow as this is the time of year where fed cattle supplies normally are the tightest and now the futures have gone the opposite direction. Grass is starting to green, and numbers of grass type cattle are more limited but with the Feeder Cattle futures for the fall months at 250.00, instead of the 270.00 level where they were at, is forcing backgrounders and feeders to readjust their plans. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher, bulls much higher undertone.