Stocker/Feeder markets: Calves weaker, yearling prices steady

click image to zoom Both calf and yearling prices peaked during March, and both posted declines during April. May auctions saw calf prices drop another 4 percent, but yearling feeders held steady, according to Drovers/CattleNetwork’s 50-market auction summary. Steer calves weighing 400 to 500 pounds saw average bids in May of $181.09 per hundredweight, $8.61 lower than April. Yearling steers weighing 600 to 700 pounds averaged $157.28 during May, an increase of 10 cents per hundredweight. Heifer calves sold for an average of $163.82 per hundredweight, a decline of $3.64. Yearling heifers weighing more than 600 pounds posted average bids of $137.25, up 11 cents per hundredweight. Prices for all classes remain 15 to 18 percent above last year.

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