light 7-weight M&L 1 steers$302.61/cwt+1.23 vs last sale · ≈ $2,215/hd at 732 lb · 2,541 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers$287.60/cwt-3.48 vs last sale · ≈ $2,233/hd at 777 lb · 2,026 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers$314.56/cwt-4.57 vs last sale · ≈ $2,111/hd at 671 lb · 1,981 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
27,336
38,126
37,540
Feeder cattle
26,546
36,526
36,652
Slaughter cattle
790
1,600
888
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week: Feeder steers 3.00 to 8.00 higher, except 600-700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers under 550 lbs 10.00 higher, over 550 lbs unevenly steady, except 800-850 lbs 8.00 to 9.00 higher. Very good demand for all weights of steers and heifers. Cash fed cattle got higher as the week progressed, all the way to 212.00, along with the CME Live and Feeder Cattle futures. Very cold temps at the start of the week, below zero daytime highs on Monday, but without snow made for another week of dry pen conditions helping to keep cattle growing easily. As the fat cattle market rose higher, so did the optimism amongst cattle feeders, which helped to support the feeder cattle market this week. Backgrounded cattle are carrying extra flesh condition and cattle feeders are very critical of this, the good, green cattle are very easy to sell, but those carrying too much flesh for their weight are much more difficult to sell.
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 3.00 to 8.00 higher, except 600-700 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers under 550 lbs 10.00 higher, over 550 lbs unevenly steady, except 800-850 lbs 8.00 to 9.00 higher. Very good demand for all weights of steers and heifers. Cash fed cattle got higher as the week progressed, all the way to 212.00, along with the CME Live and Feeder Cattle futures. Very cold temps at the start of the week, below zero daytime highs on Monday, but without snow made for another week of dry pen conditions helping to keep cattle growing easily. As the fat cattle market rose higher, so did the optimism amongst cattle feeders, which helped to support the feeder cattle market this week. Backgrounded cattle are carrying extra flesh condition and cattle feeders are very critical of this, the good, green cattle are very easy to sell, but those carrying too much flesh for their weight are much more difficult to sell.