Nation’s Higher Feeder Cattle
Prices Reach End Of The Rope

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. —(USDA)— Feeder calf prices around the country were generally steady to as much as $4 lower last week while yearlings moved at steady to $2 lower money.

Continued dry weather over several of the major wheat grazing areas has pretty well ruled out much of the anticipated early grazing and hopes are centered on getting moisture to have any grazing at all.

Buyers for wheat pasture-bound cattle were hard to find and calf prices started to show the narrowing of demand. Yearlings headed for feedyards still found good but somewhat narrowed demand from the last few weeks as feed prices promise to be relatively cheap.

Many Southern Plains feedlots were reported to be at or near capacity. After the sharp price break on CME contracts for both fed steers and feeders, yearling feeder buyers began to pull back.

Fed cattle prices on the High Plains moved down $1 with the majority of sales at $70-70.50. Boxed beef prices moved higher during the forepart of the week but began to lose ground from midweek on.

Yearlings weighing more than 600 pounds made up approximately 34 percent of the week's run.

Some trading:

Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 625-675 lbs. $80-85, 700-800 lbs. $77-81, 800-850 lbs. $73.50-77.50; 650-775 lbs. delivered $78-83, 850 lbs. $75.75-80; 750-800 lbs. for January and February delivery $78.50-82, 725-775 lbs. for March and April $79.50-81.50; 750 lbs. delivered for January through March $81.50-82.50; 750 lbs. delivered 50 cents to $1 over November-March CME board; heifers, 600-675 lbs. $78-80, 650-700 lbs. $76-77; 650 lbs. delivered $78; 700-725 lbs. for February through April delivery $75-78, 700-725 lbs. for May and June $74-76; 700 lbs. delivered $3.25 under February-March CME board.

Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 585 lbs. $83, 675 lbs. $81, 700 lbs. $80-81, 750-775 lbs. $80-81, 800 lbs. $78; 750 lbs. for January delivery $81, 750 lbs. for April $81, 750-775 lbs. for May $80; heifers, 550 lbs. $77.50, 700 lbs. $77.

Colorado: steers, medium and large No. 1 couple loads 450 lbs. $102, few loads 510 lbs. $96, load 600 lbs. $90; string 575 lbs. $94, few loads 750 lbs. $81.75, few loads 850 lbs. $79.50; auction, 300-400 lbs. $102-112.50, 400-500 lbs. $90.25-104, mostly $92-98, 500-600 lbs. $85.50-95, mostly $87.75-93, 600-700 lbs. $82.75-90.50, bulk $84.50-88, 700-800 lbs. $74.50-83.50, mostly $77.50-80.50, 800-900 lbs. $73.50-79, 900-1000 lbs. $71.50-76; heifers, few loads 485 lbs. $87; load 400 lbs. delivered $90, load 470 lbs. $85.50, 800-840 lbs. $75.50-76.50; auction, 300-400 lbs. $87-98.50, 400-500 lbs. $83.75-91, 500-600 lbs. $79-86, 600-700 lbs. $78.50-86, 700-800 lbs. $73.75-77.50, 800-900 lbs. $70.50-76.50, bulk $71.75-74.50.

South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 650-700 lbs. delivered $90.40-92.50, string 875 lbs. $81.25; large No. 2 Holsteins string 750 lbs. $65.

Wyoming, Western Nebraska, Western North and South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 535-550 lbs. $90-95, 600-690 lbs. $87.85-90.80, 765-800 lbs. $81-81.25; auction, 250-300 lbs. $116-121, 300-350 lbs. $111-127, 350-400 lbs. $104.50-122.50, 400-450 lbs. $96-109.50, fancy $113-118, 450-500 lbs. $90.50-105.50, fancy $106-111, 500-550 lbs. $85-97.25, fancy $99-100, 550-600 lbs. $84.50-94.75, 600-650 lbs. $84.40-91, 650-700 lbs. $82.50-89, 700-800 lbs. $78-85.25, 800-900 lbs. $73.50-84.30, 900-1000 lbs. $72-79.50, 1000-1160 lbs. $69-75.70; heifers, 500-525 lbs. $85-87, 735 lbs. $77.50; auction, 235-280 lbs. $97-98, 300-400 lbs. $91.25-111, 400-500 lbs. $81.25-98, 500-600 lbs. $80.50-90, 600-700 lbs. $75.50-84, 700-800 lbs. $76.25-79, 800-900 lbs. $72.60-77.25, 900-1000 lbs. $72.85- 75.25, 1000-1010 lbs. $70.75-73.

Montana: steers, medium and large No. 1 500 lbs. $97, 575 lbs. $89, 604 lbs. 86.80, 690 lbs. 84.35; 450 lbs. for November delivery $102, 525 lbs. 94, 560 lbs. $87, 640 lbs. $86.50; auction, 300-350 lbs. $104-111, 350-400 lbs. $76.25-110, 400-450 lbs. $93.50-106, 450-500 lbs. $88.50-100, 500-550 lbs. $85-96, 550-600 lbs. $81.50-90.50, 600-650 lbs. $81-89, 650-700 lbs. $77.75-87.50, 700-750 lbs. $78.75-84.75, 719-742 lbs. $77-80.25, 750-800 lbs. $79-82, 762-793 lbs. $79-80, 800-850 lbs. $76.50-82.25, 850-900 lbs. $76.50-80.75, 900-950 lbs. $73-76.50, 950-1000 lbs. $73.25-75.50; heifers, 470 lbs. 87, 575 lbs. $83; 425 lbs. for November delivery $93, 500 lbs. $83-91, 550 lbs. $80, 625 lbs. $81; auction, 300-350 lbs. $88-95, 350-400 lbs. $86-95, 400-450 lbs. $83.50-98, 450-500 lbs. $82-91, 500-550 lbs. $81.50-89.50, 550-600 lbs. $79.75-88.50, 600-650 lbs. $78.50-87.25, 650-700 lbs. $77.25-83.25, 700-750 lbs. $76-80.25, 750-800 lbs. $73-78.75, 800-850 lbs. $73.75-74, 850-900 lbs. $72-76, 900-950 lbs. $70.75-72.75, string 950-1000 lbs. $72.

Washington, Oregon and Idaho: steers, medium and large No. 1 500-550 lbs. $85-90, 600-700 lbs. $83-86, 700-725 lbs. $76-82, 825 lbs. $72, 850 lbs. $74.50; auction, 350-400 lbs. $96, 400-500 lbs. $85-93, 500-600 lbs. $82-90, 600-700 lbs. $77-85, 700-800 lbs. $71-75; heifers, 500-550 lbs. $76-80, 600 lbs. $81, 775 lbs. $70, 875-900 lbs. $72.50; auction, 350-400 lbs. $83, 400-500 lbs. $74.50-80, 500-600 lbs. $73-79, 600-700 lbs. $68-75.

Arkansas: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 300-350 lbs. $100-111, 350-400 lbs. $94-104, 400-450 lbs. $88-97, 450-500 lbs. $84-93, 500-550 lbs. $81-90, 550-600 lbs. $77-85, 600-700 lbs. $73-81, 700-800 lbs. $71-78; heifers, 300-350 lbs. $84-93, few to $95, 350-400 lbs. $80-88, 400-450 lbs. $77-85, 450-500 lbs. $74-82, 500-600 lbs. $72-80, 600-700 lbs. $68-75, 700-800 lbs. $68-74.

Kentucky: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-300 lbs. $100-111, 300-350 lbs. $94-104, few $105-108, 350-400 85-95, 400-450 lbs. $93-103, 450-500 lbs. $83-93, 500-550 lbs. $81-91, 550-600 lbs. $77-87, 600-700 lbs. $75-85, 700-800 lbs. $74-80, some $81-84.85, 800-900 lbs. $71-79.10; large No. 2 Holsteins, 300-400 lbs. $60-69.50, 400-500 lbs. $58-65.50, few $66-70.40, 500-600 lbs. $57-67, 600-700 lbs. $57-65.50, 700- 800 lbs. $55-63, 800-900 lbs. $55-62.75; heifers, 200-300 lbs. $80-90, 300-350 lbs. $83-92.50, 350-400 lbs. $76-86, 400-500 lbs. $75-85, few $85.50-86.30, 500-600 lbs. $72-82, few $82.50-83, 600-700 lbs. $70-77.90, 700-800 lbs. $64-74, few $74.50-75.85.

Tennessee: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-300 lbs. $100-124, 300-350 lbs. $96-113, 350-400 lbs. $91-106, 400-450 lbs. $85-97, few $100, 450-500 lbs. $81-91, 500-550 lbs. $78-86, 550-600 lbs. $77-83, 600-700 lbs. $72-81, 700-800 lbs. $70-77, load 570 lbs. $85.25; heifers, 200-300 lbs. $80-95, 300-350 lbs. $80-90, 350-400 lbs. $76-88, 400-450 lbs. $74-84 few $86, 450-500 lbs. $73-82, 500-550 lbs. $70-80, 550-600 lbs. $69-76, 600-700 lbs. $68-74.50 few $77, load 650 lbs. $79.10, load 775 lbs. $70.50.

Southeastern complex: steers, medium and large No. 1 200-250 lbs. $116-133, 250-300 lbs. $109-124, 300-350 lbs. $100-115, 350-400 lbs. $92-102, 400-450 lbs. $87-97, 450-500 lbs. $82-92, 500-550 lbs. $80-86, 550-600 lbs. $73-83, 600-650 lbs. $71-81, 650-700 lbs. $68-78, 700-800 lbs. $65-73; heifers, 200-250 lbs. $90-102, 250-300 lbs. $85-95, 300-350 lbs. $82-92, 350-400 lbs. $78-88, 400-450 lbs. $75-85, 450-500 lbs. $70-80, 500-550 lbs. $69-79, 550-600 lbs. $65-75, 600-700 lbs. $63.50-70.