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Arkansas Agriculture
Newsletters
Livestock Market News - Situation and Outlook
Week Ending September 3, 2010
STEER AND HEIFER WEIGHTS STILL BELOW A YEAR AGO: Steer and
heifer weights are rather seasonal in nature, as dressed weights
modestly increase during the summer, peak in the fall and gradually
decline through the winter months before hitting a seasonal low
during the spring. This year is no exception; however, the seasonal
increase in steer and heifer weights has not been as strong this
summer relative to prior years and weights still remain well below a
year ago. This is not only a continuation of the results from last
winter’s severe weather, but also the extreme heat and humidity
during late July and early August.
In early May, steer dressed weights posted a seasonal low of 804
pounds, similar to the timing of the seasonal low last year, but
well below the 820 pounds posted in 2009. Since then, steer dressed
weights have slowly increased reaching 840 pounds as of the
weekending August 14th (most recent actual weekly data reported by
USDA). Typically, steer dressed weights increase on average about
six percent from the seasonal low in early May to early August. This
year steer dressed weights have increased about five percent as of
early August. According to weekly data, steer dressed weights are
expected to average about 835 pounds in July, 11 pounds lighter than
2009’s, but about one percent heaver than the prior five-year
average. So far this year (through weekending August 14th), steer
dressed weights have been 17 pounds lower than last year, but around
a percent higher than the 2004-2008 average.
Average dressed weights for heifers this year have been well
below last year, again due to the lingering impacts of severe winter
weather conditions and a hot summer. Averaged dressed weights for
heifers posted a seasonal low of 738 pounds in late May versus
2009r’s low of 752 pounds posted the same week last year. Normally,
heifer dressed weights increase around five percent from the
seasonal low to early August. This year dressed weights increased
only about four percent to 768 pounds (as of weekending August
14th), and were still below last year. For July, heifer dressed
weights should average around 760 pounds versus 770 pounds last
July, but this remains one percent higher than the 2004-2008
average. By early August, heifer dressed weights have averaged about
16 pounds lower this year compared to 2009 and about two percent
heavier than the 2004-2008 year-to-date average.
Federal-State Market News, P.O. Box 391,
Little Rock, AR 72203, (501) 671-2200
Prepared by Steven R. Cheney, USDA Officer-in-Charge
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