Cattle Market Pulse

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Market Report

Dalhart, Texas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 2, 2024

2,070 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $222.13/cwt +6.63 vs last sale · ≈ $2,044/hd at 920 lb · 283 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $225.04/cwt ≈ $1,965/hd at 873 lb · 252 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $233.38/cwt -2.62 vs last sale · ≈ $1,909/hd at 818 lb · 169 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,070 1,458 1,660
Feeder cattle 1,828 1,142 1,287
Slaughter cattle 241 316 373
Replacement cattle 1 — 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers traded mostly steady to 5.00 higher, with the exception of steers weighing between 600-700 lbs which traded sharply lower. Not enough comparable sales on steer and heifer calves for a market trend. Quality was mostly attractive with the majority of the supply consisting of load lots of cattle straight off the wheat. Slaughter cows and bulls traded mostly 1.00 to 4.00 higher on better kinds. Trading activity was moderate to active on good buyer demand.

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
353–360 355 6 368.00–380.00 $375.95 $1,335 —
413 413 7 362.00 $362.00 $1,495 —
526 526 6 333.00 $333.00 $1,752 +3.00
584–593 585 15 290.00–295.00 $293.46 $1,717 —
637–641 638 39 267.00–269.00 $268.54 $1,713 -20.46
663 663 64 268.00 $268.00 $1,777 —
730–747 735 23 253.00–255.00 $254.56 $1,871 —
762–785 765 109 247.50–252.00 $251.41 $1,923 +1.41
801–848 818 169 229.00–236.00 $233.38 $1,909 -2.62
857–889 873 249 219.50–228.00 $225.16 $1,966 —
882 882 3 215.00 $215.00 $1,896 —
908–932 920 279 217.00–224.50 $222.22 $2,044 +6.72
943 943 4 216.00 $216.00 $2,037 +0.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470 470 12 321.00 $321.00 $1,509 —
523–528 524 8 290.00–314.00 $307.96 $1,614 —
580 580 2 272.00 $272.00 $1,578 -8.65

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
519–545 521 24 270.00–305.00 $301.95 $1,573 —
580–598 590 7 252.00–267.50 $260.97 $1,540 -7.61
602–633 621 24 248.00–260.00 $252.12 $1,566 —
711–722 718 39 231.00–231.50 $231.32 $1,661 +6.75
748 748 7 224.00 $224.00 $1,676 -0.57
752 752 10 224.00 $224.00 $1,684 —
840 840 3 209.00 $209.00 $1,756 -1.50
859–893 890 125 205.50–210.00 $205.92 $1,833 —
911 911 4 200.00 $200.00 $1,822 -6.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352 thin fleshed 352 3 316.00 $316.00 $1,112 —
365 365 4 279.00 $279.00 $1,018 —
470 470 2 280.00 $280.00 $1,316 +4.00
506–526 520 14 255.00–272.00 $259.72 $1,351 —
598 598 6 253.00 $253.00 $1,513 +7.00
609 609 12 245.00 $245.00 $1,492 -1.05
650 650 4 230.00 $230.00 $1,495 —
769–791 770 77 208.00–225.00 $223.87 $1,724 -2.62
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
269 269 7 271.00 $271.00 $729 —
503 503 5 264.00 $264.00 $1,328 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
946 946 4 170.00 $170.00 $1,608 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
733–840 787 85-90% 4 81.00–85.00 $82.86 $652 —
835–978 911 85-90% 10 95.00–98.00 $95.83 $873 —
930–975 966 85-90% 5 111.00–112.00 $111.81 $1,080 +1.22
988 988 85-90% 2 128.00 $128.00 $1,265 +17.41
1055–1098 1081 85-90% 5 99.00–103.00 $100.56 $1,087 —
1028–1173 1088 85-90% 27 118.00–126.50 $122.62 $1,334 —
1006–1380 1118 85-90% 20 104.00–115.00 $107.24 $1,199 +12.65
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1072–1210 1107 80-85% 12 137.00–149.00 $145.72 $1,613 —
1084–1422 1276 80-85% 35 115.00–120.00 $119.43 $1,524 —
1025–1520 1427 80-85% 20 125.00–132.00 $127.92 $1,825 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1715 1378 75-80% 9 128.00–136.00 $132.90 $1,831 —
1549 1549 75-80% 8 142.00 $142.00 $2,200 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1470–1505 1493 3 140.00–144.00 $142.32 $2,125 —
1440–1780 1596 4 120.00–141.00 $131.93 $2,106 —
1635–1910 1837 5 151.00–158.00 $155.96 $2,865 -9.78

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1300 1300 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 2,700.00 $2,700.00 —

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Dairy Heifers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
731 731 8 157.00 $157.00 $1,148 —

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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.