Cattle Market Pulse

Cattlemen's Livestock Auction Market Report

Dalhart, Texas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 16, 2024

1,823 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $223.92/cwt ≈ $1,753/hd at 783 lb · 168 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $241.35/cwt -0.65 vs last sale · ≈ $1,980/hd at 821 lb · 90 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $226.46/cwt ≈ $2,052/hd at 906 lb · 75 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,823 1,195 1,685
Feeder cattle 1,385 906 1,342
Slaughter cattle 382 287 300
Replacement cattle 56 2 43

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers traded mostly steady to 5.00 higher. Not enough comparable sales on feeder heifers for a market trend. Steer and heifer calves too lightly tested for a trend. Slaughter cows and bulls traded mostly steady to 2.00 higher. Trading activity was moderate to active on good buyer demand. Quality was attractive with several load lots of cattle on offer.

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
572 572 6 315.00 $315.00 $1,802 —
608 608 9 313.00 $313.00 $1,903 +31.00
710 710 2 240.00 $240.00 $1,704 -18.82
705–735 719 39 260.00–266.00 $264.70 $1,903 +5.88
756 756 9 257.00 $257.00 $1,943 +6.00
807 807 3 225.00 $225.00 $1,816 -17.00
820–821 821 87 238.00–242.00 $241.91 $1,986 -0.09
884 884 59 226.00 $226.00 $1,998 +1.00
905–933 906 75 225.00–226.50 $226.46 $2,052 —
966 966 7 216.00 $216.00 $2,087 —
1031–1033 1032 105 212.00 $212.00 $2,188 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
363 thin fleshed 363 13 380.00 $380.00 $1,379 —
465 465 2 330.00 $330.00 $1,534 +12.00
503 thin fleshed 503 4 351.00 $351.00 $1,766 —
739 739 5 246.00 $246.00 $1,818 -5.68
768–771 768 28 221.00–240.00 $237.28 $1,822 —
942 942 3 222.00 $222.00 $2,091 —
993 993 30 212.00 $212.00 $2,105 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
632 632 9 260.00 $260.00 $1,643 —
670–676 675 19 230.00–238.00 $231.25 $1,561 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493 493 5 268.00 $268.00 $1,321 —
542 542 5 269.00 $269.00 $1,458 —
562 562 3 259.00 $259.00 $1,456 +15.00
677 677 34 230.00 $230.00 $1,557 —
752–798 783 168 222.00–228.00 $223.92 $1,753 —
827 827 34 195.00 $195.00 $1,613 +12.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
388 388 9 329.00 $329.00 $1,277 —
427 427 30 317.00 $317.00 $1,354 —
472 472 6 291.00 $291.00 $1,374 -1.48
570 570 6 285.00 $285.00 $1,624 —
603–648 629 35 259.00–270.00 $266.01 $1,673 +10.01
662 662 5 245.00 $245.00 $1,622 —
703–747 720 8 218.00–226.00 $222.89 $1,605 -0.61
748 748 3 216.00 $216.00 $1,616 -7.50
751–788 780 31 222.00–224.00 $223.09 $1,740 —
874–895 893 61 205.00–210.00 $205.48 $1,835 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
608 608 3 220.00 $220.00 $1,338 —
709 709 4 219.00 $219.00 $1,553 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
387 387 3 359.00 $359.00 $1,389 —
468 468 4 328.00 $328.00 $1,535 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1523 1250 80-85% 31 118.00–129.00 $123.69 $1,546 —
1285–1495 1382 80-85% 41 140.00–144.00 $140.70 $1,944 —
1065–1770 1433 80-85% 20 134.00–139.00 $137.82 $1,975 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
785–940 837 85-90% 3 108.00–115.00 $110.62 $926 —
918–993 955 85-90% 13 117.00–124.00 $120.60 $1,152 —
958–976 972 85-90% 10 81.00–82.00 $81.20 $789 —
1010–1270 1129 85-90% 27 90.00–108.00 $98.39 $1,111 —
1229–1290 1274 85-90% 9 120.00–124.00 $120.45 $1,535 —
1045–1515 1297 85-90% 16 127.00–132.00 $130.21 $1,689 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1210 1210 75-80% 2 129.00 $129.00 $1,561 —
1345–1780 1563 75-80% 5 134.00–138.00 $135.56 $2,119 -3.64
1693 1693 75-80% 2 143.00 $143.00 $2,421 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160 1160 1 170.00 $170.00 $1,972 —
1755–1910 1865 4 161.00–162.00 $161.26 $3,007 —
1878 1878 2 154.00 $154.00 $2,892 —

↑ Back to top

Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1175 1175 (<2 yrs)Open 30 178.00 $178.00 $2,092

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1228 1228 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 21 2,450.00 $2,450.00 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 4 2,000.00 $2,000.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.