Cattle Market Pulse

Tri-State Feeder Cattle Board Sale Market Report

Abingdon, Virginia · USDA-reported Auction Livestock (Board Sale)

Sale of Tuesday, August 18, 2026

1,179 head sold ·Official USDA report

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $334.23/cwt ≈ $2,253/hd at 674 lb · 144 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $351.32/cwt ≈ $2,670/hd at 760 lb · 132 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $377.00/cwt -38.00 vs last sale · ≈ $2,111/hd at 560 lb · 89 head
Abingdon, VA 6-weight heifers sold at $343/cwt, the highest of the 5 yards reporting the class and $5/cwt above the VA average ($338). VA 6-weight heifers are down $32/cwt from their early July peak of $366. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,179 642 898
Feeder cattle 1,179 642 898

On-Farm State Graded Feeder Cattle (Steers 601, Heifers 578) Value Added cattle are Weaned and Vaccinated All lots Home Raised, Heifers Guaranteed Open Most lots VQA (Virginia Quality Assured)

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
605 value added 605 81 394.00 $394.00 $2,384
685 value added 685 71 373.00 $373.00 $2,555
760 value added 760 132 346.50–356.00 $351.32 $2,670
810 value added 810 60 336.50 $336.50 $2,726
890 value added 890 56 315.50 $315.50 $2,808
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525 value added 525 59 417.00 $417.00 $2,189 -75.00
655 value added 655 75 377.00 $377.00 $2,469 -49.50
720 value added 720 67 356.50 $356.50 $2,567 -54.50

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
615 value added 615 80 357.50 $357.50 $2,199
655–695 value added 674 144 325.50–343.00 $334.23 $2,253
750 value added 750 68 326.00 $326.00 $2,445
805 value added 805 61 300.00 $300.00 $2,415
980 value added 980 39 262.00 $262.00 $2,568
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 value added 500 30 410.00 $410.00 $2,050 -40.00
560 value added 560 89 377.00 $377.00 $2,111 -38.00
740 value added 740 67 312.00 $312.00 $2,309

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What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

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.