Cattle Market Pulse

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Market Report

Dalhart, Texas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 9, 2024

1,195 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $214.50/cwt +5.50 vs last sale · ≈ $1,742/hd at 812 lb · 98 head
light 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $227.00/cwt ≈ $1,648/hd at 726 lb · 74 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $258.82/cwt +4.26 vs last sale · ≈ $1,897/hd at 733 lb · 46 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,195 2,070 1,762
Feeder cattle 906 1,828 1,165
Slaughter cattle 287 241 597
Replacement cattle 2 1 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers traded mostly firm to 6.00 higher. Not enough comparable sales on steer or heifer calves for a market trend. Slaughter cows and bulls traded mostly firm to 5.00 higher. Trading activity was 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
610 610 6 282.00 $282.00 $1,720 +13.46
655 655 4 260.00 $260.00 $1,703 -8.00
665–673 unweaned 670 5 244.00–257.00 $251.84 $1,687 —
721–736 733 46 255.50–259.50 $258.82 $1,897 +4.26
753 753 27 251.00 $251.00 $1,890 -0.41
812 812 25 242.00 $242.00 $1,965 +8.62
880 880 12 225.00 $225.00 $1,980 +10.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
484 484 9 318.00 $318.00 $1,539 -3.00
548 548 6 284.00 $284.00 $1,556 -23.96
578–580 579 7 266.00–278.00 $274.58 $1,590 +2.58
620 620 35 273.00 $273.00 $1,693 —
687 687 15 258.00 $258.00 $1,772 —
710–739 735 23 246.00–252.50 $251.68 $1,850 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
474–483 475 31 278.00–293.50 $292.48 $1,389 —
605 605 2 256.00 $256.00 $1,549 +3.88
608 unweaned 608 2 231.00 $231.00 $1,404 —
718 718 8 223.50 $223.50 $1,605 -7.82
812 812 98 214.50 $214.50 $1,742 +5.50
913 913 4 202.00 $202.00 $1,844 +2.00
1064 1064 4 171.00 $171.00 $1,819 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 5 292.00 $292.00 $1,256 —
589 589 5 244.00 $244.00 $1,437 -9.00
637 637 6 248.00 $248.00 $1,580 +3.00
726 726 74 227.00 $227.00 $1,648 —
838 838 4 183.00 $183.00 $1,534 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
640–910 773 85-90% 8 83.00–89.00 $85.16 $658 +2.30
814–940 860 85-90% 11 93.00–100.00 $96.96 $834 —
860–943 918 85-90% 28 101.00–110.00 $104.51 $959 +8.68
1108–1350 1174 85-90% 13 94.00–105.00 $97.01 $1,139 —
1011–1500 1175 85-90% 15 109.00–119.00 $113.38 $1,332 —
1183–1555 1406 85-90% 19 120.00–125.00 $122.85 $1,727 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1149–1489 1222 80-85% 49 119.00–124.00 $120.12 $1,468 —
1199–1300 1222 80-85% 16 133.00–137.00 $135.86 $1,660 —
1227–1260 1233 80-85% 21 138.00–140.00 $139.38 $1,719 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1830 1476 75-80% 5 115.00–124.00 $122.59 $1,809 —
1328–1650 1476 75-80% 13 131.00–137.00 $136.48 $2,014 —
1456–1680 1550 75-80% 11 139.00–141.00 $139.20 $2,158 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970 970 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,261 —
1485–1785 1617 3 145.00–152.00 $147.51 $2,385 —
1480–1755 1618 2 156.00–164.00 $160.34 $2,594 —

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Beef Dairy Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
452–496 475 15 232.50–242.00 $237.79 $1,130 —
795 795 5 185.00 $185.00 $1,471 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
445 445 8 260.00 $260.00 $1,157 —
465 465 6 260.00 $260.00 $1,209 —

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1320 1320 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 2 2,500.00 $2,500.00 -200.00

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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.