Compared to last week; slaughter and feeder cows traded steady to 2.00 higher with the exception of fat cows trading sharply higher. Slaughter bulls traded 3.00 to 5.00 lower. A nice offering of a few complete and partial dispersials of bred cows with a very active market with several long strings.
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; slaughter and feeder cows traded steady to 2.00 higher with the exception of fat cows trading sharply higher. Slaughter bulls traded 3.00 to 5.00 lower. A nice offering of a few complete and partial dispersials of bred cows with a very active market with several long strings.