light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers$170.50/cwt≈ $899/hd at 527 lb · 68 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 steers$180.00/cwt≈ $832/hd at 462 lb · 65 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers$141.94/cwt≈ $630/hd at 444 lb · 61 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,800
1,430
1,500
Feeder cattle
695
—
400
Slaughter cattle
1,100
—
1,000
Replacement cattle
5
1,430
100
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last Thursday, Stocker and feeder cattle steady to firm in a light test. Feeder cattle futures closed the Thursday session with 52 to 80 cent losses, save for the Jan contract which was 67 cents higher. The Jan to March spread is still $1, with another $2.77 premium to April. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was $160.96 on 12/6, up by 53 cents. Slaughter cows and bulls steady to firm with the best demand for feeding and grass fed cows. Trade active with good demand. Buyer attendance was good. The quarterly beef production was raised 10m lbs for Q4 2021 in USDA’s WASDE report. That left the total at 7.065 billion lbs and the year’s total at 27.895 billion. The 2022 production estimate was UNCH at 27b lbs. USDA reported beef export sales were 4,234 MT during the week that ended 12/2. That was down from 21k last week and from 13.7k MT during the same week last year. Accumulated beef commitments were 1.047 MMT.
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 and feeder cattle steady to firm in a light test. Feeder cattle futures closed the Thursday session with 52 to 80 cent losses, save for the Jan contract which was 67 cents higher. The Jan to March spread is still $1, with another $2.77 premium to April. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was $160.96 on 12/6, up by 53 cents. Slaughter cows and bulls steady to firm with the best demand for feeding and grass fed cows. Trade active with good demand. Buyer attendance was good. The quarterly beef production was raised 10m lbs for Q4 2021 in USDA’s WASDE report. That left the total at 7.065 billion lbs and the year’s total at 27.895 billion. The 2022 production estimate was UNCH at 27b lbs. USDA reported beef export sales were 4,234 MT during the week that ended 12/2. That was down from 21k last week and from 13.7k MT during the same week last year. Accumulated beef commitments were 1.047 MMT.