For cattle ranchers in the Florida Panhandle, there are no local cattle market reports available, in part because producers sell in other states. The Florida Cattle Market summary report provides prices from Okeechobee, Arcadia, Lakeland, Ocala, Lake City, and Madison. So, in Northwest Florida, we must rely on reports from Alabama and Georgia.
There is a service available to keep ranchers up to date on price changes in Alabama or Georgia from week to week. USDA’ Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News Office in Montgomery, Alabama provides a wonderful weekly service. They offer a one-page summary of weekly average cattle sales, hay prices, and summary of fertilizer and fuel prices in Alabama or Georgia. This is a free service emailed out to subscribers every Friday.
You can see charts like the following that are updated weekly:
This is one of favorite charts because it tracks the movement of weaned steer prices compared to the previous year and the 5-year average price.
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This weekly chart shows prices from each weight category. From this chart you can easily calculate how much the value changes for each 50# increase. For example, a 425# steer the week ending September 4 was worth $4.18/pound with a total value of $1,776. A 475# steer was worth $3.93/pound or $1,867. So even though the price per pound is lower for the larger calf, the total value increased by $91/head. This can help you decide when to market your calves. These prices and valued differences between weight categories change with market fluctuations.
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Another important price to track are the value of cull cows and replacement cows. In general older cows, over the age of 8 years old typically are sold in the “Boner Category.” Bred Cow prices are provided for average and fancy.
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You also get a snapshot of input costs. This summary provides average prices for common input purchases such as fertilizer and farm fuel.
You can get this information that is updated every Friday from USDA’s Market News Office in Montgomery through their free email newsletter for either Alabama or Georgia. To receive this information via email, contact Crystal Richburg, by phone 404-272-6150 or email: crystal.richburg@usda.gov to get added to their email list for either the Georgia or Alabama summary. Then create a folder in your email program to save them as they come in. By saving them in a folder you can refer back to summaries from previous weeks as needed to have a history of weekly price reports.
You can also get the most recent market reports by using the following website links:
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Alabama At-a-Glance Weekly Summary
Alabama Weekly Cattle Auction Summary (cattle prices only)
Georgia At-a-Glance Weekly Summary
Georgia Weekly Livestock Auction Summary (cattle prices only)
Florida Weekly Livestock Auction Summary (Okeechobee to Madison, FL)
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