Nation's Feeder Cattle Prices
Continue In Downward Spiral

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. —(USDA)— Feeder cattle and calves sold $1-3 lower across the country again last week, calves in a few places $4-7 lower.

Early in the week, fed cattle prices struggled to get back to the previous week's level. Later, however, fed buyers came out aggressively to secure numbers and prices jumped $1-2 higher to the $57-58 level in the High Plains. CME futures prices responded with moderate price gains on Thursday and on Friday locked limit up.

The numbers of feeders moved were again only a modest portion of last year's total as many feeders are running in plentiful grass and producers are not interested in marketing at current price levels.

Most of the wheat and oat pasture country is still locked in drouth conditions, but operators had high hopes of some relief in the form of rain from a storm coming in through the Texas Gulf.

Planting needs to get underway to give hope of pasture, otherwise, calf producers will sorely miss the needs of these buyers at marketing time. Corn prices fell back late in the week as the crop production report raised the estimate of expected production.

Yearlings made up 51 percent of the week's run.

Some trading:

Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 350 lbs. $77, 650-675 lbs. $65.50-68, 700-800 lbs. $64-68, 800-850 lbs. $61.50-62.50; 650 lbs. delivered $67, 700-800 lbs. $65-68, 800-875 lbs. $64.75-65, 900 lbs. $65.75; 540 lbs. for October delivery $70; 800 lbs. $62.50-64; 750-800 lbs. $1.50-2 under CME for September to early October delivery; heifers, 350 lbs. $70, 500-550 lbs. $64-65.50, 600-700 lbs. $60.50-63.50, 700-750 lbs. $60.50-63; 500-550 lbs. delivered $64-65, 680 lbs. $60, 700-750 lbs. $62-63; 650-700 lbs. for October delivery $62.25-64.

South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 700-800 lbs. $67-67.50, 850-900 lbs. $63-66.25; heifers, couple loads 825 lbs. $64.

Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 550 lbs. $68, 600-650 lbs. $70, 700-780 lbs. $65-67, 800-825 lbs. $64-66.25, 925 lbs. $60; 750 lbs. for November delivery $69; heifers, 600 lbs. $61-64, 650-700 lbs. $60.75-65.50, 725-750 lbs. $60.50-63.

Colorado: steers, medium and large No. 1 825-900 lbs. $62-65.50; 750-875 lbs. delivered $65-67; auction, few 400-475 lbs. $75-82, 500-600 lbs. $70.25-74, 600-700 lbs. $64-67, 700-800 lbs. $61.25-66, 800-900 lbs. $60.50-66, mostly $62.50-65.50, 900-1000 lbs. $60.35-64, 1000-1030 lbs. $56.85-58.10; heifers, 700-725 lbs. $62-64, few loads 825 lbs. $60.50; few loads 750-800 lbs. delivered $63-66; auction, 400-500 lbs. $64.50-70, few 500-600 lbs. $62-67, 600-700 lbs. $61.75-64.75, 700-800 lbs. $60.25-64.50, 800-860 lbs. $57.75-62.

Wyoming, Western Nebraska and Western North and South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 440 lbs. $80, 825-900 lbs. $63.50-66, 900-1000 lbs. $60.50-62.50; auction, 235-300 lbs. $93-94.50, 400 lbs. $88.25, 500 lbs. $76.50, 625-700 lbs. $64.75-75.25, mostly $67.85-75.25, 700-800 lbs. $64.50-72.25, 800-900 lbs. $62.35-68.10, 900-1000 lbs. $60.10-65.10, 1000-1100 lbs. $55-60.60, 1200 lbs. $50.35; heifers, 420 lbs. $73, 725-850 lbs. $61-63; auction, few 310-315 lbs. $81-90, 400-415 lbs. $76.50-78.50, 515 lbs. $71.50, 630-700 lbs. $63.50-67.75, 700-800 lbs. $61.35-66.75, 800 900 lbs. $60.35-63.85.

Montana: steers, medium and large No. 1 load 540 lbs. $75, 800-900 lbs. $61.50-65.50; auction, package 730 lbs. $67.50, 800-900 lbs. $62.50-63, package 962 lbs. $59; large No. 2 Holsteins 550-600 lbs. $41-48.25, package 878 lbs. $42.50; heifers, load 775 lbs. $68, 850-900 lbs. $58.50-61.50; auction, package 769 lbs. $60.50, lot full 793 lbs. $58.50, lot 873 lbs. $60.50, 900-950 lbs. $60-60.50; Holsteins 301 lbs. $81.

Washington, Oregon and Idaho: steers, medium and large No. 1 575 lbs. $68, 825-850 lbs. $59-62, 900 lbs. $61; 850 lbs. delivered $63; auction, 750-800 lbs. $58-64; heifers, 550 lbs. $60, 775 lbs. $57, 800-825 lbs. $57-59; 775 lbs. delivered $60-61.

Arkansas: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 300-350 lbs. $80-88, 350-400 lbs. $75-83, 400-450 lbs. $70-77, 450-500 lbs. $67-74, 500-550 lbs. $64-71, 550-600 lbs. $62-68, 600-700 lbs. $59-65, 700-800 lbs. $56-62; heifers, 300-350 lbs. $65-72, 350-400 lbs. $63-70, 400-450 lbs. $60-66, 450-500 lbs. $58-64, 500-600 lbs. $57-63, 600-700 lbs. $55-61, 700-800 lbs. $54-59.50.

Kentucky: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-300 lbs. $78-88, 300-400 lbs. $72-82, few $83-85.50, 400-500 lbs. $66-76, some $77-80.25, 500-600 lbs. $63-72, few $73-77.50, 600-700 lbs. $60-69, 700 800 lbs. $57-65, 800-900 lbs. $56-63.90; large No. 2 Holsteins 300-400 lbs. $53-62.10, 400-500 lbs. $54-62.10, 500-600 lbs. $46-54, 600-700 lbs. $45-53, 700-900 lbs. $45-53; heifers, 200-300 lbs. $69-79, 300-400 lbs. $60-70, few $72-76.50, 400-500 lbs. $58-68, some $69-70, 500-600 lbs. $57-67, 600-700 lbs. $55-64, few $66-67.25, 700-800 lbs. $55-62.80.

Tennessee: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 300-350 lbs. $75-83 few $88, 350-400 lbs. $72-80, 400-450 lbs. $66.50-73.50 few $78, 450-500 lbs. $65.50-72 few $75, 500-550 lbs. $62-70, 550-600 lbs. $58-68, 600-700 lbs. $57-67, 700-800 lbs. $55-64, load 730 lbs. $64.25; heifers, 300-400 lbs. $60-68, 400-450 lbs. $57-65, 450-500 lbs. $55-62, 500-600 lbs. $54-60 few 63, 600-700 lbs. $53-60, 700-800 lbs. $53-57.50 few $60.

Southeastern complex: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-250 lbs. $90-100, 250-300 lbs. $78-88, few $93, 300-350 lbs. $74-84, few $89, 350-400 lbs. $70-80, 400-450 lbs. $66-76, 450-500 lbs. $62-72, 500-550 lbs. $60-70, 550-600 lbs. $56-66, 600-700 lbs. $55-64, 700-800 lbs. $52-61; heifers, 200-250 lbs. $75-84, 250-300 lbs. $64-72, few $76, 300-350 lbs. $60-70, 350-400 lbs. $58-67, 400-450 lbs. $56-66, 450-500 lbs. $55-65, 500-600 lbs. $53-60, 600-700 lbs. $50-58.