The reason they sale by the lbs is that the cme (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) base the price by the lbs on the futures. So the buyers have to buy by the lb. It would take them to long to work it out by the head. Then the reason they wt the cattle last. The owner told me it keeps the buyer on their toes on est. the weight. Up at Emory Livestock Auction in Emory Texas they sale their bred cows by the lb to on their Tuesday sale. Mr. Forester (the Owner) said the sales get better money for their cattle, because ranchers have to be pretty good at est. their wt. I was up there once when a man paid around .90 lb for a cow that wt 1500 lbs. :shock: I ask the guy did he know what he paid for that cow. He looked at me and smile and said yes $1350. Their Saturday sale when all the weekend people are there they sale them by the head, because most of them don't know their own wt. :wink: