Can someone explain this to me

[sstterry]

I was looking at local sale barn prices just to see if there was any trend. This first report is from the Athens Tennessee Market:

STEERS - Medium and Large 1-2 (Per Cwt / Actual Wt)
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
7 355-368 362 155.00-168.00 160.46
11 465-495 482 138.00-151.00 145.81
8 505-545 520 137.00-150.00 145.56
37 550-598 570 134.50-148.00 139.61
1 575 575 122.50 122.50 Full
5 605-623 616 126.00-135.00 130.41
20 653-680 667 130.00-143.00 137.40
2 705-725 715 129.00-134.00 131.53
4 829 829 118.50 118.50
1 855 855 117.00 117.00

These next two markets are within 50 miles each of the first:

FEEDER CATTLE

WGT RANGE PRICE RANGE AVG PRICE
200-299 92.50-144.00 128.43
300-399 70.00-146.00 111.70
400-499 67.50-142.00 109.54
500-599 70.00-137.00 108.84
600-699 60.00-142.00 104.06
700-799 75.00-127.00 101.63
800-899 60.00-100.00 80.71

DESCRIPTION LOW $ HIGH $ NO-SOLD WT-AVG WEIGHT SOLD WT-AVG
=============================================================================================
FD STEER 300 - 399 114.00 150.00 12 133.01 350 0 0.00
FD STEER 400 - 499 96.00 122.00 17 112.77 454 0 0.00
FD STEER 500 - 599 63.00 139.00 26 111.61 548 0 0.00
FD STEER 600 - 699 87.00 133.50 16 108.68 642 0 0.00
FD STEER 700 - 799 90.00 98.00 3 94.93 750 0 0.00
FD STEER 800 - 899 88.00 88.00 1 88.00 810 0 0.00
FD HEIFER 0 - 299 94.00 105.00 2 98.97 260 0 0.00
FD HEIFER 300 - 399 74.00 118.00 18 104.96 358 0 0.00
FD HEIFER 400 - 499 60.00 119.00 15 98.02 445 0 0.00
FD HEIFER 500 - 599 65.00 118.00 23 107.10 557 8 115.92
FD HEIFER 600 - 699 94.00 103.00 3 98.28 628 0 0.00
FD HEIFER 700 - 799 85.00 95.00 4 90.87 750 0 0.00
FD HEIFER 800 - 899 80.00 85.00 3 81.68 803 0 0.00

If you look at the average prices, something seems way off for markets within 50 miles of each other.
This is not the sale barn I take mine too, but this is a big variance.

 

[Lucky]

Those are better reports than our local barns give but it's hard to compare without knowing what quality calves were sold. Good reports will have #1, #1-2, #2, #3, value added, fleshy, calves, etc. this way you know what kind of calves were being sold. Our local barns will have Calves 500 & up $.90-1-40 or 300-400 $.95-$1.50. There is a huge price difference in a mexican x angus cross and a good crossbred black x angus calf.

Try looking at El Reno or OKC National Stockyards reports to see what I mean.

 

[JParrott]

My guess is whoever runs the sale barn isn't getting the right buyers to show up. Our local one went to hell for about a decade until new ownership bought it about six or seven years ago and all but guaranteed that he'd get the buyers from the big barns nearby to show up and buy or he'd make the prices right. So far, it's been good.

 

[DCA farm]

It could be a number of different things
Number of sellers vs number of buyers in room
Quality of cattle being run through
Quantity of cattle being run through