heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers$143.58/cwt+2.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,254/hd at 874 lb · 368 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers$146.25/cwt+5.29 vs last sale · ≈ $1,240/hd at 848 lb · 119 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers$141.62/cwt+0.61 vs last sale · ≈ $959/hd at 677 lb · 90 head
Receipts
Head
This sale
Last sale
Last year
Total receipts
1,890
1,103
1,486
Feeder cattle
1,790
1,028
1,400
Slaughter cattle
100
75
86
Market comments — USDA reporter
Compared to last week, steers traded steady to 4.00 higher with the full advance on the loads of yearlings. Feeder heifers steady and slaughter cows steady. It was a good day to be indoors for a big Thanksgiving week cattle sale as rain made for a nasty day outside. The beef complex has started the week strong with two higher trading days for both the live and feeder cattle futures, and boxed beef prices have continued to march higher with the Choice up another 2.70 at 244.30 on Tuesdays close. Yearling prices have been mostly higher at auction barns in the midwest, and feedlots are hoping to get in on the action by selling fats for higher money by the end of the week.
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, steers traded steady to 4.00 higher with the full advance on the loads of yearlings. Feeder heifers steady and slaughter cows steady. It was a good day to be indoors for a big Thanksgiving week cattle sale as rain made for a nasty day outside. The beef complex has started the week strong with two higher trading days for both the live and feeder cattle futures, and boxed beef prices have continued to march higher with the Choice up another 2.70 at 244.30 on Tuesdays close. Yearling prices have been mostly higher at auction barns in the midwest, and feedlots are hoping to get in on the action by selling fats for higher money by the end of the week.