Nation's Feeder Cattle Prices
Continue Upward Price Spiral

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. —(USDA)— Feeder cattle prices continued their upward price spiral last week with steers and heifers steady to $2 higher, instances $3 up.

The promise of relatively cheap feed costs and hopes of higher prices for fed cattle proved enough for feeder buyers to push prices higher again. Fed cattle prices struggled to hold the previous week's advance while packers watched boxed beef prices back off a little from recent sharp advances.

Open fall weather had many producers in the Midwest busy once again with harvest and delayed the beginning of the fall run in these areas. Rain through parts of the wheat pasture country buoyed prospects of getting some grazing in yet this fall.

Yearlings made up approximately 40 percent of the week's run.

Some trading:

Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 400 lbs. $81, 575-675 lbs. $70.50-72, 700-800 lbs. $66.50-70.50; 550-675 lbs. delivered $72-73, 700-835 lbs. $69-74.50; 660 lbs. for March delivery $76; 725-750 lbs. delivered for January through April $74.50-76.35; heifers, 550 lbs. $66.50, 625-725 lbs. $62.50-68, mostly $64-68; 500-575 lbs. delivered $68-75, 600-725 lbs. $66-72.50.

Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 620-625 lbs. $70-72.50, 675 lbs. $69, 700-750 lbs. $68-69.50, 800 lbs. $67- 68; heifers, 625-750 lbs. $64-65, 725 lbs. fleshy $62; 700 lbs. for March delivery $69.50.

Colorado: steers, medium and large No. 1 couple strings 520-525 lbs. $78-81, load 625 lbs. $70, string 875 lbs. $64.50; load 550 lbs. delivered $75, 600-725 lbs. $73-74.50, few loads 800 lbs. $70; auction, 300-400 lbs. $84-90, few to $95.50, 400-500 lbs. $77.50-85, 500-600 lbs. $71.50-81.25, mostly $73.50-77, 600-700 lbs. $67.50-75.75, 700-800 lbs. $68.50-73.25, 800-900 lbs. $63.25-71; heifers, couple strings 485-490 lbs. $71-72; 525-575 lbs. delivered $69.25-70, few loads 700 lbs. $67.75; auction, 300-400 lbs. $71-77.50, few to $80.50, 400-500 lbs. $67.50-75, 500-600 lbs. $64.50-74, mostly $67.50-72.50, 600-700 lbs. $63-69.75, 700-800 lbs. $62.50-69.50, 800-900 lbs. $61.50-66.50.

South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 500-550 lbs. $78-81.50, 550-600 lbs. $77-78, 700-800 lbs. $70.50-71.50, load 840 lbs. $67.50, string 925 lbs. $66; 500-550 lbs. delivered $79-83, 600-650 lbs. $75.50-78; heifers, 600-700 lbs. $70.50-73, 800-900 lbs. $62.25-64.75; 450-500 lbs. delivered $72-73.50, 500-600 lbs. $71-73.

Wyoming, Western Nebraska and Western North and South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 450-500 lbs. $77, 500-530 lbs. $77-79.50, 650 lbs. $72-74.50; auction, 340-400 lbs. $89-95.50, 400-450 lbs. $84.50-91.75, 450-500 lbs. $79.25-87.50, 500-600 lbs. $73-81.25, 600-700 lbs. $71.25-75.60, 700-800 lbs. $69.75-76, 800-900 lbs. $64.50-73.35, 900-960 lbs. $64.50-68.75, 1000-1050 lbs. $60-64.50; heifers, 425-470 lbs. $71-72, 550 lbs. $70.50; auction, 300-400 lbs. $75.25-85.50, 400-500 lbs. $68-79.50. mostly $71.50-75.50, 500-600 lbs. mostly $65.75-71.75, 600-700 lbs. $69.75-72.10, 700-800 lbs. $64.75-69.25, 800-900 lbs. $60.50-67.20, 900-1000 lbs. $57.50-64.40.

Montana: steers, medium and large No. 1 500-525 lbs. $77-80, 550-600 lbs. $74-76, 600-650 lbs. $70-74, couple loads 725 lbs. $68, 850-900 lbs. $65-65.50; auction, 350-400 lbs. $81-91, 400-450 lbs. $79-85, 450-500 lbs. $75.50-83, 500-550 lbs. $72.50-80, 550-600 lbs. $71.50-77, 600-650 lbs. $70.50-74.75, 650-700 lbs. $70-73.50, 700-750 lbs. $67.50-71, 750- 800 lbs. $69.50-71.50, 800-850 lbs. $67.75-70, 850-900 lbs. $65-67.50, 900-950 lbs. $65.25-67.85; heifers, 450-500 lbs. $71-74, 500-550 lbs. $68-70, 550-600 lbs. $68-71, 600 lbs. $66-68, couple loads 875 lbs. $63.50; auction, 350-400 lbs. $73.50-81.25, 400-450 lbs. $70.50-79, 450-500 lbs. $68-74.50, 500-550 lbs. $67.25-72.75, 550-600 lbs. $65-70.75, 600-650 lbs. $64.75-67.75, 650-700 lbs. $64-64.50, 750-800 lbs. $64.25-66.10, 800-850 lbs. $63.50-66.50, 850-900 lbs. $62.50-65.

Washington, Oregon and Idaho: steers, medium and large No. 1 570 lbs. $71, 625 lbs. $70, 850-895 lbs. $64-64.50; string 850-900 lbs. delivered $65; auction, 400-500 lbs. $71-75, 500-600 lbs. $66-72.50, 600-700 lbs. $66-69.60, 700-800 lbs. $60-68.50; heifers, few 790 lbs. $62.50, 800 lbs. $61; auction, 400-500 lbs. $60-64.50, 500-600 lbs. $56-66, 600- 700 lbs. $58-65, 700-800 lbs. $58-60.

Arkansas: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 300-350 lbs. $82-91, 350-400 lbs. $79-87, 400-450 lbs. $76-84, 450-500 lbs. $72-79, 500-550 lbs. $69-76, 550-600 lbs. $66-72, 600-700 lbs. $63-70, 700-800 lbs. $60-66; heifers, 300-350 lbs. $67-74, 350-400 lbs. $65-72, 400-450 lbs. $63-70, 450-500 lbs. $61-67, 500-600 lbs. $60-66, 600-700 lbs. $58-64, 700-800 lbs. $57-63.

Kentucky: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-300 lbs. $80-90, 300-400 lbs. $75-85, few $86-89.50, 400-500 lbs. $73-83, few $84-85, 500-600 lbs. $68-78, few $79-83, 600-700 lbs. $64-73, few $74-75.50, 700-800 lbs. $60-69.50, 800-900 lbs. $61-67.90; Holsteins, large No. 2 300-400 lbs. $56-61.50 400-500 lbs. $51-60.50, 500-600 lbs. $51-61, 600-700 lbs. $47-57, few $58-61, 700-900 lbs. $46.50-52.25; heifers, 200-300 lbs. $63-73, 300-400 lbs. $63-73, few $74-76, 400-500 lbs. $61-70, 500-600 lbs. $58-68, few $69-69.90, 600-700 lbs. $57-64.80, 700-800 lbs. $54-63.

Tennessee: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-300 lbs. $80-91, 300-350 lbs. $80-88, 350-400 lbs. $77-85, 400-450 lbs. $74-83, 450-500 lbs. $69-76, 500-550 lbs. $67-74, 550-600 lbs. $64-72, 600-700 lbs. $62-69.50, 700-800 lbs. $62-67, load 830 lbs. $63.20; heifers, 300-350 lbs. $66-76, 350-400 lbs. $62-72, 400-450 lbs. $60-67 few $71, 450-500 lbs. $58-67, 500-550 lbs. $57-66, 550-600 lbs. $57-65, 600-700 lbs. $56-63, 700-800 lbs. $55-60.

Southeastern complex: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-250 lbs. $90-106, 250-300 lbs. $89-98, 300-350 lbs. $84-95, 350-400 lbs. $75-85, 400-450 lbs. $72-82, 450-500 lbs. $70-80, 500-550 lbs. $68-74, 550-600 lbs. $66-72, 600-650 lbs. $62-69, 650-700 lbs. $58-68, 700-750 lbs. $60-63, 750-800 lbs. $55-62; heifers, 200-250 lbs. $70-81, 250-300 lbs. $69-79, 300-350 lbs. $66-76, 350-400 lbs. $64-72, 400-450 lbs. $62-70, 450-500 lbs. $58-68, 500-550 lbs. $55-65, 550-600 lbs. $55-63, 600-700 lbs. $54-62.