Cattle Market Pulse

Valley Livestock Market Report

Moulton, Alabama · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 18, 2024

461 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 3-weight M&L 1 bulls $340.75/cwt -2.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,251/hd at 367 lb · 15 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $261.34/cwt -1.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,545/hd at 591 lb · 11 head
light 4-weight M&L 2 bulls $301.04/cwt -11.42 vs last sale · ≈ $1,294/hd at 430 lb · 10 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 461 838 123
Feeder cattle 357 683 71
Slaughter cattle 38 60 18
Replacement cattle 66 95 34

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to one week ago: Slaughter cattle sold mostly steady. Feeder steers and bulls sold 1.00 to 3.00 lower, feeder heifers sold mostly steady with a lower undertone noted. Trade active with good demand. Replacement cattle sold firm.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410 410 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,332 —
535 535 6 300.00 $300.00 $1,605 —
550–565 555 3 292.00 $292.00 $1,621 +2.00
620–635 630 9 265.00–272.00 $267.00 $1,682 +3.51
705 705 1 250.00 $250.00 $1,762 +7.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 1 375.00 $375.00 $1,312 —
400–426 421 7 332.00–342.00 $339.64 $1,430 —
470 470 1 320.00 $320.00 $1,504 —
510–540 522 3 312.00–317.00 $315.37 $1,646 +0.37
555 555 1 300.00 $300.00 $1,665 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
330–335 333 2 320.00–325.00 $322.48 $1,074 -5.87
355–395 375 4 305.00–310.00 $307.63 $1,154 -4.74
400–446 427 10 280.00–290.00 $284.50 $1,215 +11.52
450–480 468 9 262.00–270.00 $263.62 $1,234 -1.78
500–545 514 9 252.00–260.00 $255.49 $1,313 +1.00
560–595 571 6 245.00–250.00 $248.16 $1,417 +0.16
600–625 613 2 244.00–245.00 $244.49 $1,499 -3.51
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
260 260 1 340.00 $340.00 $884 —
355–385 370 2 317.00–327.00 $322.20 $1,192 -4.73
410–445 418 6 295.00–305.00 $300.96 $1,258 +10.99
450–475 464 4 272.00–280.00 $274.96 $1,276 -3.08
500–538 530 9 265.00–272.00 $270.53 $1,434 -0.88
550–595 591 11 261.00–265.00 $261.34 $1,545 —
600–615 608 2 250.00–257.00 $253.54 $1,542 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
300–305 303 2 350.00–360.00 $355.04 $1,076 -6.60
350–391 367 15 335.00–350.00 $340.75 $1,251 -2.58
405–446 435 9 310.00–322.00 $318.73 $1,386 -10.10
450–490 465 6 300.00–315.00 $305.30 $1,420 -10.82
500–535 522 3 275.00–282.00 $278.99 $1,456 -15.99
570–590 582 3 265.00–270.00 $267.31 $1,556 -2.78
635 635 1 255.00 $255.00 $1,619 -3.29
665–685 675 2 250.00–255.00 $252.54 $1,705 +12.54
755 755 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,774 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–335 328 3 340.00–345.00 $343.40 $1,126 +0.84
375–395 385 4 325.00–330.00 $327.56 $1,261 -2.49
400–445 430 10 295.00–305.00 $301.04 $1,294 -11.42
465–496 482 8 285.00–296.00 $291.15 $1,403 -3.31
500–545 527 6 262.50–270.00 $265.83 $1,401 -15.87
555–565 562 3 255.00–260.00 $256.65 $1,442 -1.87
600–635 612 3 250.00–252.00 $250.69 $1,534 +5.69

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220 1220 80-85% 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,342 —
1055–1450 1226 80-85% 7 120.00–128.00 $122.75 $1,505 —
1180–1510 1316 80-85% 5 113.00–121.00 $116.82 $1,537 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1450 1450 75-80% 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,653 -11.35
1480 1480 75-80% 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,791 -4.35
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960 960 85-90% 1 112.00 $112.00 $1,075 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1865 1517 3 143.00–145.00 $144.04 $2,185 +11.10
1550–1670 1610 2 152.00–154.00 $152.96 $2,463 —
1795 1795 1 166.00 $166.00 $2,980 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— fancy — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,950.00 $1,950.00
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,950.00–2,100.00 $2,025.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
— — Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,900.00 $1,900.00

↑ 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 4 2,500.00–3,250.00 $3,050.00 —
— — Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 2,950.00–3,450.00 $3,233.33 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
— — Aged (>8 yrs)Open 2 2,550.00–2,650.00 $2,600.00 —

↑ 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.