We had a nice run and were glad to be back after a quick week off. The market was hot in certain places, but looked a little uneven compared to our last sale with the majority of cattle offered were bawling calves. The quality was good, but we are seeing the usual pressure for the time of year with the heat and potential health challenges on fresh calves. The cow market held steady with a strong demand for meat continuing through the summer. Thank you to everyone 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.
We had a nice run and were glad to be back after a quick week off. The market was hot in certain places, but looked a little uneven compared to our last sale with the majority of cattle offered were bawling calves. The quality was good, but we are seeing the usual pressure for the time of year with the heat and potential health challenges on fresh calves. The cow market held steady with a strong demand for meat continuing through the summer. Thank you to everyone who allowed us to market cattle for them this week!