Cattle Market Pulse

Valley Livestock Market Report

Moulton, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 16, 2020

406 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Valley Livestock report →

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $129.00/cwt ≈ $890/hd at 690 lb · 21 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 406 514 378
Feeder cattle 273 415 300
Slaughter cattle 50 65 23
Replacement cattle 83 34 55

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Slaughter cattle sold 1.00 to 4.00 lower. Feeder steers and bulls sold sharply lower, feeder heifers 4.00 to 7.00 higher. Trade active with moderate demand on feeders. Replacement cattle sold mostly steady.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 155.00 $155.00 $636 —
500 500 1 142.00 $142.00 $710 —
555–563 562 9 135.00–140.00 $135.55 $762 —
690 690 21 129.00 $129.00 $890 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500–525 513 3 125.00–130.00 $127.31 $653 —
605–645 623 3 115.00–120.00 $117.65 $733 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 137.00 $137.00 $555 -18.00
460 460 1 135.00 $135.00 $621 -19.00
580 580 1 130.00 $130.00 $754 —
700 700 2 112.00–115.00 $113.50 $794 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 1 140.00 $140.00 $385 —
300 300 2 130.00–132.00 $131.00 $393 —
436 436 4 122.00 $122.00 $532 -5.98
455–460 458 2 120.00 $120.00 $550 +4.71
525–535 529 4 115.00–120.00 $117.77 $623 +7.28
565 565 1 115.00 $115.00 $650 —
645 645 1 112.00 $112.00 $722 +7.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–445 424 4 117.00–120.00 $118.03 $500 +0.03
480–485 484 4 112.00–115.00 $113.50 $549 +3.50
560 560 1 110.00 $110.00 $616 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 137.00 $137.00 $541 —
415 415 1 132.00 $132.00 $548 -6.59
460 460 1 127.00 $127.00 $584 +2.00
550 550 1 120.00 $120.00 $660 -5.00
605 605 1 117.00 $117.00 $708 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–335 322 3 142.00–147.00 $144.70 $466 —
370–380 375 2 137.00 $137.00 $514 -16.93
400–405 403 2 130.00–135.00 $132.52 $534 -17.33
450–480 465 2 115.00–125.00 $119.84 $557 -12.75
515–530 525 3 117.00–120.00 $118.01 $620 -6.99
555–585 575 3 115.00–117.00 $115.64 $665 -4.36
605–620 613 2 112.00 $112.00 $687 -5.00
678–690 682 3 100.00 $100.00 $682 —
700 700 2 90.00–92.00 $91.00 $637 -14.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300 300 1 155.00 $155.00 $465 —
350–385 368 2 142.00–147.00 $144.38 $531 —
435–445 437 6 137.00–140.00 $137.51 $601 -20.95
455–470 462 3 126.00–132.00 $128.04 $592 -16.96
500 500 1 125.00 $125.00 $625 —
595 595 1 122.00 $122.00 $726 —
705 705 2 100.00–102.00 $101.00 $712 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–380 378 2 135.00 $135.00 $510 -12.00
440–445 442 3 122.00–127.00 $124.68 $551 -11.30
550–565 558 4 107.00–110.00 $108.75 $607 -6.25

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1260 1043 80-85% 2 50.00–54.00 $51.58 $538 —
1085–1300 1143 80-85% 4 46.00–48.00 $46.71 $534 —
990–1500 1273 80-85% 6 42.00–45.00 $44.02 $560 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1505 1292 75-80% 5 49.00–51.00 $50.34 $650 -3.66
1355 1355 75-80% 1 53.00 $53.00 $718 —
1320–1525 1389 75-80% 4 46.00–47.00 $46.48 $646 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820 820 85-90% 1 40.00 $40.00 $328 —
1050 1050 85-90% 1 43.00 $43.00 $452 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1355–1940 1682 3 72.00–76.00 $74.54 $1,254 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1025 1025 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 880.00 $880.00
1115–1275 1168 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 850.00–935.00 $877.50
1135–1220 1178 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,110.00–1,150.00 $1,130.00
1220 fancy 1220 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,150.00 $1,150.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
935–1210 1073 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 800.00–820.00 $810.00
1085 1085 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 900.00 $900.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
950–1220 1085 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 4 1,000.00–1,010.00 $1,005.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1140 1140 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,100.00 $1,100.00 +90.00

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Reading this report

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.