light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers$145.88/cwt-9.12 vs last sale · ≈ $916/hd at 628 lb · 40 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers$132.14/cwt-2.04 vs last sale · ≈ $694/hd at 525 lb · 31 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers$151.04/cwt-7.96 vs last sale · ≈ $723/hd at 479 lb · 25 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,570
1,500
1,720
Feeder cattle
670
400
500
Slaughter cattle
900
1,100
1,220
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last Thursday, Stocker cattle less than 700 lbs 2.00-8.00 lower. Not enough feeder cattle over 700 lbs for accurate trends. Feeder cattle futures gave back $2.07 to $2.40 on the day, despite the weakness in corn, with September rolling off the board at $153.92. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was $154.66 on 9/28, which was another 15 cents lower but still 74 cents above Sept. Slaughter cows 1.00-3.00 lower with an interest out of the market. Slaughter bulls steady in a light test. Trade slow to moderate with light to moderate demand. Beef export sales were a 9 week high according to USDA’s weekly Export Sales report, with 16.1k MT sold. Japan was the week’s top buyer with 5.5k MT. Beef exports were 18,544 MT during the week that ended 9/23, which left the accumulated shipment at 688,660 MT.
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 Thursday, Stocker cattle less than 700 lbs 2.00-8.00 lower. Not enough feeder cattle over 700 lbs for accurate trends. Feeder cattle futures gave back $2.07 to $2.40 on the day, despite the weakness in corn, with September rolling off the board at $153.92. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was $154.66 on 9/28, which was another 15 cents lower but still 74 cents above Sept. Slaughter cows 1.00-3.00 lower with an interest out of the market. Slaughter bulls steady in a light test. Trade slow to moderate with light to moderate demand. Beef export sales were a 9 week high according to USDA’s weekly Export Sales report, with 16.1k MT sold. Japan was the week’s top buyer with 5.5k MT. Beef exports were 18,544 MT during the week that ended 9/23, which left the accumulated shipment at 688,660 MT.