light 8-weight L 1 steers$163.71/cwt≈ $1,352/hd at 826 lb · 58 head
light 7-weight L 1 heifers$160.92/cwt≈ $1,191/hd at 740 lb · 50 head
heavy 7-weight L 1 steers$170.00/cwt-0.50 vs last sale · ≈ $1,299/hd at 764 lb · 34 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,000
1,050
2,250
Feeder cattle
400
350
1,050
Slaughter cattle
600
700
1,200
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last Thursday, stocker and feeder cattle firm. Quality of feeder cattle more attractive this week with good buyer attendance. CME Feeder cattle futures bounced back with triple digit Wednesday gains of $1.15 to $1.67. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was $169.02, down by $1.99 for 7/22. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher. Not enough slaughter bulls for accurate trends. Trade active with good demand. Excessive heat over the trade area affecting the movement of livestock. USDA's weekly FAS data showed beef bookings were 25.3k MT during the week that ended 7/21. That was a 6% increase wk/wk and a 66% increase from the 4-week average. South Korea and Japan were the top buyers for the week, each with over 7k MT. Beef shipments from the report were also 20.3k MT, again led by shipments to South Korea and Japan.
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 firm. Quality of feeder cattle more attractive this week with good buyer attendance. CME Feeder cattle futures bounced back with triple digit Wednesday gains of $1.15 to $1.67. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was $169.02, down by $1.99 for 7/22. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher. Not enough slaughter bulls for accurate trends. Trade active with good demand. Excessive heat over the trade area affecting the movement of livestock. USDA's weekly FAS data showed beef bookings were 25.3k MT during the week that ended 7/21. That was a 6% increase wk/wk and a 66% increase from the 4-week average. South Korea and Japan were the top buyers for the week, each with over 7k MT. Beef shipments from the report were also 20.3k MT, again led by shipments to South Korea and Japan.