We had another good run this week although the market was a bit softer with the threat of severe winter weather, creating caution amongst buyers in our trade area as well. We didn’t see the same quality this week as last week and we saw a large gap in the market between weaned and unweaned cattle. The packer market held steady this week and we had continued interest in older bred cows. Thank you to all who allowed us to market cattle for them this 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
We had another good run this week although the market was a bit softer with the threat of severe winter weather, creating caution amongst buyers in our trade area as well. We didn’t see the same quality this week as last week and we saw a large gap in the market between weaned and unweaned cattle. The packer market held steady this week and we had continued interest in older bred cows. Thank you to all who allowed us to market cattle for them this week!