How Market Data Works
Understanding how Cattle360 collects, processes, and matches market data to your herd helps you interpret recommendations and make better selling decisions.
Data Collection
Cattle360 imports auction data from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). This includes:
- Sale barn definitions — Name, location, and identification for each reporting auction.
- Auction reports — Detailed results including commodities sold, weight ranges, price per hundredweight (cwt), and head count.
- Report dates — The date each auction occurred, used to determine recency and trends.
Market Segments
The system automatically classifies your group by its dominant animal type and sex to match the appropriate USDA market segment. Common segments include:
| Group Composition | Market Segment |
|---|---|
| Steers (feeders) | Feeder Steers |
| Heifers (feeders) | Feeder Heifers |
| Cows (slaughter) | Slaughter Cows |
| Bulls (slaughter) | Slaughter Bulls |
Weight Matching
The system matches your group’s average weight to USDA auction commodities. This matching uses a 75-point tolerance, meaning a group averaging 650 lbs would match auction data for the 600–700 lb weight range.
If the group uses an estimated average weight rather than actual scale recordings, the system will display a warning so you know the benchmark may be less precise.
Trend Analysis
Cattle360 compares price data across two windows to determine market direction:
- 14-day trend — Recent price movement.
- 28-day trend — Broader price trajectory.
When the 14-day average is above the 28-day average, prices are trending upward. When it is below, prices are softening.
Fallback Logic
If a specific sale barn does not have enough data to produce a reliable benchmark, the system falls back to statewide data. This ensures you always get a price reference, even for less frequently reported auctions.