light 9-weight M&L 1 steers$247.28/cwt-3.85 vs last sale · ≈ $2,268/hd at 917 lb · 668 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers$235.06/cwt-5.57 vs last sale · ≈ $2,315/hd at 985 lb · 615 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers$249.40/cwt-8.54 vs last sale · ≈ $2,140/hd at 858 lb · 150 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
4,409
9,114
9,231
Feeder cattle
3,412
8,410
8,325
Slaughter cattle
997
704
906
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder steers 5.00 to 10.00 lower, instances to 15.00 lower. Feeder heifers sold with much lower undertones, too few offered to make full, complete dollar comparisons. Moderate to good demand. The correction in the cattle futures has gotten the full attention of cattle feeders and caused them to stop and take another look at their plans to buy cattle. Breakeven prices have had to be figured much lower as now the winter months of the Live Cattle futures are barely at 180.00. Cash fed cattle were lower as well, topping at 193.00, with the basis narrowing but still very wide at 9.00 cash over the board. Yearling feeder cattle producers are hesitant to sell into a market like this, as it has been so strong all spring and summer long, only now to quickly drop at the end of the grazing season. There is still adequate grass, and it's still early yet and cash fed cattle are still in the 190s. Cattle producers that don't have to sell yet are choosing to wait as they don't feel the push to pull from grass early. Slaughter cows unevenly steady, bulls steady.
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 5.00 to 10.00 lower, instances to 15.00 lower. Feeder heifers sold with much lower undertones, too few offered to make full, complete dollar comparisons. Moderate to good demand. The correction in the cattle futures has gotten the full attention of cattle feeders and caused them to stop and take another look at their plans to buy cattle. Breakeven prices have had to be figured much lower as now the winter months of the Live Cattle futures are barely at 180.00. Cash fed cattle were lower as well, topping at 193.00, with the basis narrowing but still very wide at 9.00 cash over the board. Yearling feeder cattle producers are hesitant to sell into a market like this, as it has been so strong all spring and summer long, only now to quickly drop at the end of the grazing season. There is still adequate grass, and it's still early yet and cash fed cattle are still in the 190s. Cattle producers that don't have to sell yet are choosing to wait as they don't feel the push to pull from grass early. Slaughter cows unevenly steady, bulls steady.