Cattle Market Pulse

Valley Livestock Market Report

Moulton, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 17, 2023

244 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $183.50/cwt ≈ $1,407/hd at 767 lb · 25 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 bulls $201.00/cwt ≈ $1,216/hd at 605 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 244 243 330
Feeder cattle 182 183 269
Slaughter cattle 26 27 34
Replacement cattle 36 33 27

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Slaughter cattle sold steady to 2.00 higher. Feeder steers and bulls sold 5.00 to 9.00 lower, feeder heifers sold 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Trade active with moderate to good demand on feeder cattle. Replacement cattle sold 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
515 515 1 240.00 $240.00 $1,236 —
648 648 6 212.00 $212.00 $1,374 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 4 218.00 $218.00 $1,090 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
767 767 25 183.50 $183.50 $1,407 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280 280 1 220.00 $220.00 $616 -10.00
360–390 380 3 207.00–213.00 $210.63 $800 —
427 427 3 205.00 $205.00 $875 -3.31
465–495 483 3 185.00–187.00 $185.68 $897 -9.32
625 625 1 157.00 $157.00 $981 —
650–680 665 2 147.00–152.00 $149.44 $994 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 226.00 $226.00 $791 +1.36
400–430 417 5 207.00–215.00 $211.17 $881 -5.29
660 660 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,089 —
715 715 1 147.00 $147.00 $1,051 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
603–605 604 6 180.00–189.00 $185.99 $1,123 —
700 700 1 165.00 $165.00 $1,155 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–393 385 5 225.00–230.00 $226.95 $874 -10.05
410–430 420 4 215.00–222.00 $218.07 $916 -9.13
475–495 483 3 210.00–215.00 $211.71 $1,023 -0.59
500–540 517 4 200.00–205.00 $201.31 $1,041 -5.69
603 603 3 188.00 $188.00 $1,134 —
755 755 2 154.00 $154.00 $1,163 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
605 605 12 201.00 $201.00 $1,216 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–385 383 2 240.00 $240.00 $919 —
525–540 533 6 209.00–215.00 $210.33 $1,121 -1.67
575 575 1 192.00 $192.00 $1,104 -10.00
673 673 2 188.00 $188.00 $1,265 —
775 775 1 160.00 $160.00 $1,240 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
845–1030 931 85-90% 5 75.00–78.00 $76.34 $711 —
925–995 960 85-90% 2 69.00–73.00 $70.93 $681 -8.69
1055–1125 1095 85-90% 4 81.00–84.00 $82.76 $906 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080–1275 1152 80-85% 3 85.00–88.00 $86.31 $994 —
1065–1240 1177 80-85% 3 91.00–96.00 $92.76 $1,092 —
1250–1360 1305 80-85% 2 97.00–99.00 $98.04 $1,279 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175 1175 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,340 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,100.00 $1,100.00
— fancy — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,160.00 $1,160.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 900.00 $900.00
— — Aged (>8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 825.00 $825.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 1,300.00–1,375.00 $1,337.50 —
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 6 1,450.00–1,650.00 $1,545.83 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 4 1,100.00–1,275.00 $1,200.00 —

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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.