Cattle Market Pulse

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Market Report

Dalhart, Texas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 21, 2024

2,950 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Cattlemen's Livestock Auction report →

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $239.37/cwt ≈ $1,999/hd at 835 lb · 417 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $226.02/cwt ≈ $1,770/hd at 783 lb · 197 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $229.66/cwt +1.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,690/hd at 736 lb · 162 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,950 3,205 3,538
Feeder cattle 2,468 2,608 2,949
Slaughter cattle 482 597 589

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago: Feeder steers and heifers traded 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Steer and heifer calves traded mostly 8.00 to 10.00 higher, with instances of up to 20.00 higher on calves over 450 pounds suitable for summer grazing. Trading activity was active on good buyer demand. Slaughter cows and bulls traded 10.00 to 15.00 higher.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
387 387 3 403.00 $403.00 $1,560 +6.00
413–435 420 9 393.00–394.00 $393.34 $1,652 +53.02
475 475 9 351.00–365.00 $361.89 $1,719 +50.89
508–519 516 18 331.00–350.00 $335.01 $1,729 +10.30
607 607 10 308.00 $308.00 $1,870 +8.00
650–691 676 11 268.00–283.00 $273.24 $1,847 +4.24
720 720 93 254.00 $254.00 $1,829 -4.65
751 751 9 250.00 $250.00 $1,878 -0.12
829–843 835 417 236.00–241.50 $239.37 $1,999 —
878–888 883 109 233.00–235.00 $233.95 $2,066 +2.40
966–996 979 156 219.00–221.00 $220.09 $2,155 +2.09
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
535 535 10 312.00 $312.00 $1,669 +56.16
621–630 626 8 250.00–294.00 $271.84 $1,702 +6.84

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
318–320 319 5 319.00–344.00 $333.96 $1,065 -35.04
380 380 8 321.00 $321.00 $1,220 -22.31
408–446 429 11 300.00–318.00 $313.19 $1,344 +8.21
477–488 484 15 300.00–311.00 $306.17 $1,482 +14.20
505–543 512 21 301.00–309.00 $305.47 $1,564 +25.47
540 540 2 285.00 $285.00 $1,539 +5.00
556–564 561 10 294.00–298.00 $295.59 $1,658 +22.57
608 608 4 259.00 $259.00 $1,575 +14.00
696 696 21 232.00 $232.00 $1,615 -4.00
708–745 736 162 228.00–231.50 $229.66 $1,690 +1.77
767–792 783 197 225.50–226.25 $226.02 $1,770 —
813 813 61 221.50 $221.50 $1,801 +3.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
392 392 10 324.00 $324.00 $1,270 +10.39
461 461 10 301.00 $301.00 $1,388 —
598 598 14 265.00 $265.00 $1,585 +15.57
608 608 13 257.00 $257.00 $1,563 —
675–680 678 26 227.00–235.00 $230.37 $1,562 -9.63
739 739 17 227.75 $227.75 $1,683 +5.03
870 870 64 204.00 $204.00 $1,775 -5.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
574 574 17 260.00 $260.00 $1,492 +31.00
780 780 3 201.00 $201.00 $1,568 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
398 398 4 369.00 $369.00 $1,469 —
509–540 519 6 303.00–320.00 $314.11 $1,630 —
763 763 5 213.00 $213.00 $1,625 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
817–818 818 6 185.00–186.00 $185.50 $1,517 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
748–875 802 85-90% 8 76.00–83.00 $80.26 $644 —
799–890 856 85-90% 12 86.00–91.00 $89.27 $764 +11.94
972–995 987 85-90% 9 102.00–118.00 $107.49 $1,061 —
1001–1240 1115 85-90% 18 79.00–89.00 $84.46 $942 +10.83
1054–1598 1194 85-90% 22 118.00–128.00 $123.34 $1,473 —
1003–1413 1204 85-90% 36 97.50–113.00 $105.45 $1,270 —
1428 1428 85-90% 6 133.00 $133.00 $1,899 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
926 926 80-85% 2 121.00 $121.00 $1,120 —
1036–1288 1116 80-85% 15 112.00–119.00 $115.49 $1,289 —
1135–1549 1364 80-85% 45 124.00–135.00 $128.19 $1,749 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1211 1211 75-80% 4 125.00 $125.00 $1,514 —
1460 1460 75-80% 1 145.00 $145.00 $2,117 —
1523–1650 1568 75-80% 11 130.00–137.00 $134.61 $2,111 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1760–1905 1833 2 138.00–140.00 $139.04 $2,549 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.