Cow-calf pair prices

In USDA AMS livestock auction reports, cow-calf pairs are a cow sold with her calf — breeding stock under REPLACEMENT CATTLE, not feeder calves alone and not cull slaughter cows. Many of these lots are priced per head (Per Unit / Actual Wt). This page shows how to read those lines.

Cow-calf pairs vs bred heifers, feeders, and slaughter cows

Cow-calf pairs are a mature cow plus a calf at side. Bred heifers are young females sold pregnant, usually without a calf yet. Feeder calves are young cattle sold to be finished (usually $/cwt). Slaughter cows are culls sold for harvest (usually $/cwt). Do not mix these markets when you compare numbers.

Unit is often per head — not $/cwt

Feeder and slaughter lots are usually Per Cwt / Actual Wt. Cow-calf pairs are often Per Unit / Actual Wt — meaning per head (the pair). A $3,600 pair price is not $3,600/cwt. Always check the unit column before you compare to feeder prices or multiply by weight.

Grade often notes the calf weight band

• Class — COW-CALF PAIRS (HEIFER PAIRS are a related replacement class).
• Grade — often Medium and Large 1 with a calf weight note, e.g. w/ 150-300 lbs calf.
• Unit — frequently Per Unit / Actual Wt (per head).
• Comments — often include age= and stage= notes.

For the broader replacement category, see replacement cattle prices. For PDF layout, see how to read cattle auction reports. For cwt math, see cattle price per cwt. For feeder weight bands, see feeder cattle prices. For cull cows, see slaughter cattle prices. For dairy-area calves and Beef Cross comments, see dairy / beef-cross calf prices. For feeder vs slaughter bulls, see bull prices. For a national weight-band snapshot of feeder steer prices, see feeder steer prices. For lighter feeders bought to graze (often called stockers), see stocker cattle prices. For a state-by-state snapshot of feeder steer prices, see cattle prices by state.

Worked example from a real sale

From Burwell Livestock Market (NE) on Nov 6, 2026, one cow-calf lot in our API:

{ "auction_name": "Burwell Livestock Market",
  "state": "NE", "report_date": "2026-11-06",
  "category": "REPLACEMENT CATTLE", "class_name": "COW-CALF PAIRS",
  "grade": "Medium and Large 1 w/ 150-300 lbs calf", "head_count": 47,
  "weight_avg": 1533, "price_avg": 3661.45,
  "unit": "Per Unit / Actual Wt" }

Reading it: 47 Medium and Large 1 cow-calf pairs with 150–300 lb calves, about 1,533 lb average, sold at about $3,661 per head (not per cwt). Rough lot value ≈ 47 × 3661 ≈ $172,000. Same sale also had heifer pairs (9 hd @ ~1,189 lb @ $3,720.66/head) and a smaller cow-calf lot (7 hd @ $3,634.45/head). Source: USDA AMS; we are not affiliated with USDA.

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: kl_free_demo_2026" \
  "https://api.kossinlabs.com/v1/prices?class=COW-CALF%20PAIRS&limit=5"

Pull more cow-calf lots as JSON

Free demo key (no sign-up): kl_free_demo_2026. Docs: api.kossinlabs.com. Product page: cattle auction prices API. Starter is $29/mo for higher limits — subscribe. 30-day money-back guarantee.