Cattle Market Pulse

Valley Livestock Market Report

Moulton, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 4, 2024

417 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $307.86/cwt +27.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,314/hd at 427 lb · 24 head
heavy 3-weight M&L 1 steers $367.33/cwt ≈ $1,377/hd at 375 lb · 24 head
light 3-weight M&L 1 heifers $328.32/cwt +33.32 vs last sale · ≈ $1,064/hd at 324 lb · 12 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 417 297 243
Feeder cattle 320 226 193
Slaughter cattle 41 23 29
Replacement cattle 56 48 21

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Slaughter cattle sold mostly steady with high dressing breakers up to 133.00 cwt. Feeder cattle sold sharply higher. Trade active with very good demand on feeders. 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
328–349 336 8 380.00–382.00 $380.78 $1,279 —
353–388 375 24 360.00–377.00 $367.33 $1,377 —
410–415 413 2 335.00–355.00 $344.94 $1,425 —
460 460 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,495 —
510 510 1 310.00 $310.00 $1,581 —
555–586 576 3 282.00–285.00 $282.96 $1,630 —
667 667 6 252.00 $252.00 $1,681 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
405 405 1 330.00 $330.00 $1,336 —
480–493 489 3 310.00 $310.00 $1,516 —
510 510 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,504 +38.00
605 605 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,543 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
225 225 1 345.00 $345.00 $776 —
323–325 324 12 325.00–335.00 $328.32 $1,064 +33.32
350–385 368 2 307.00–312.00 $309.62 $1,139 +27.15
386 fancy 386 9 332.00 $332.00 $1,282 —
400–420 410 4 294.00–300.00 $296.93 $1,217 +16.08
403–439 fancy 430 20 307.00–320.00 $310.05 $1,333 —
450–474 465 5 270.00–285.00 $273.88 $1,274 +11.45
507–520 513 10 260.00–269.00 $267.28 $1,371 +16.27
553–588 571 6 240.00–247.00 $243.39 $1,390 +5.13
638 638 3 240.00 $240.00 $1,531 +7.71
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 1 295.00 $295.00 $1,047 —
405–440 423 2 275.00–280.00 $277.40 $1,173 +16.29
465–480 473 2 265.00–270.00 $267.54 $1,265 +19.98
570–598 595 9 238.00–240.00 $238.21 $1,417 +8.45
630 630 1 230.00 $230.00 $1,449 +6.42

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320 320 1 350.00 $350.00 $1,120 —
375–395 388 3 325.00–340.00 $331.52 $1,286 +34.15
415–435 422 3 310.00–320.00 $314.92 $1,329 +34.87
465–485 473 5 290.00–300.00 $295.98 $1,400 +38.71
500–545 527 11 260.00–280.00 $273.82 $1,443 +31.55
575 575 10 260.00 $260.00 $1,495 +22.02
645 645 2 240.00–245.00 $242.50 $1,564 +12.50
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 375.00 $375.00 $1,181 +51.79
365–390 378 4 345.00–365.00 $353.54 $1,336 +45.99
405–415 408 4 330.00–345.00 $336.21 $1,372 +43.61
450–455 453 2 305.00–310.00 $307.51 $1,393 +27.51
505–520 516 4 285.00–305.00 $292.41 $1,509 +40.30
570 570 1 270.00 $270.00 $1,539 +24.03
605–635 626 8 251.00–255.00 $251.99 $1,577 +13.08
680–690 683 3 242.00–252.00 $248.63 $1,698 +14.07
759 759 6 215.00 $215.00 $1,632 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1420 1205 80-85% 14 111.00–117.00 $114.02 $1,374 —
980–1495 1209 80-85% 8 118.00–125.00 $121.16 $1,465 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1525 1287 75-80% 3 114.00–119.00 $117.21 $1,508 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1175 1135 85-90% 3 105.00–110.00 $107.99 $1,226 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1775–1880 1828 2 140.00–142.00 $141.03 $2,578 —
1800–2055 1928 2 149.00–150.00 $149.47 $2,882 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,850.00 $1,850.00

↑ Back to top

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 1 2,350.00 $2,350.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.