Cattle Market Pulse

Lonestar Stockyards Market Report

Wildorado, Texas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 20, 2022

2,230 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Lonestar Stockyards report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $191.93/cwt +6.93 vs last sale · ≈ $1,138/hd at 593 lb · 270 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $192.37/cwt +8.04 vs last sale · ≈ $937/hd at 487 lb · 158 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $181.50/cwt +11.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,018/hd at 561 lb · 153 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,230 1,107 0
Feeder cattle 2,039 1,060 0
Slaughter cattle 56 32 0
Replacement cattle 135 15 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers traded mostly 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Steer and heifer calves traded mostly 7.00 to 10.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls were too lightly tested last week for a market trend, but a sharply higher undertone was noted. Quality was very attractive with several load lots of cattle off the short wheat on offer. Trading activity was active on very good buyer demand. A cold front bringing artic air is moving in to the region in the last part of the week dropping temperatures below freezing accompanied by high winds.

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
312–330 315 8 227.00–233.00 $231.46 $729 +4.46
383 383 2 215.00 $215.00 $823 -19.00
408–435 412 37 211.00–236.00 $227.00 $935 +0.78
453–493 465 24 221.00 $221.00 $1,028 +11.04
510–535 517 96 194.00–209.00 $206.35 $1,067 +10.64
589–594 593 270 186.00–192.25 $191.93 $1,138 +6.93
621–633 626 15 183.00–186.00 $184.21 $1,153 +9.21
725 725 51 179.00 $179.00 $1,298 +2.56
782 782 3 171.00 $171.00 $1,337 -3.06
800 800 7 166.00 $166.00 $1,328 +5.50
800 800 9 173.00 $173.00 $1,384 +12.50
876 876 21 173.00 $173.00 $1,515 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
401 401 4 190.00 $190.00 $762 —
515 515 3 180.00 $180.00 $927 +4.35
580–583 583 47 180.00 $180.00 $1,049 +6.00
605–618 608 38 173.75–175.00 $174.02 $1,058 +3.66
673–698 677 52 172.50–177.00 $174.50 $1,181 +1.86
742 742 20 171.00 $171.00 $1,269 +10.00
847 847 151 168.50 $168.50 $1,427 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
538–539 539 13 152.00–160.00 $155.69 $839 —
594 594 4 161.00 $161.00 $956 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–384 375 116 197.50–210.00 $206.36 $774 +20.34
437 437 11 193.00 $193.00 $843 +9.00
478–499 487 158 186.50–197.00 $192.37 $937 +8.04
515–545 538 97 185.00–188.00 $187.10 $1,007 +16.60
561 561 153 181.50 $181.50 $1,018 +11.15
610–639 629 38 171.00–174.50 $173.34 $1,090 +9.34
658–698 668 86 171.00–172.75 $172.30 $1,151 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 19 188.00 $188.00 $790 —
485 485 3 185.00 $185.00 $897 —
515–538 520 23 168.00–178.00 $171.02 $889 +8.73
550–590 560 27 162.00–174.00 $171.12 $958 —
608–629 621 8 160.00–168.00 $165.06 $1,025 —
679 679 6 168.00 $168.00 $1,141 —
707–739 725 111 163.00–173.00 $169.35 $1,228 +0.35
774 774 4 156.00 $156.00 $1,207 +3.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
426 426 4 165.00 $165.00 $703 +9.00
516 516 4 160.00 $160.00 $826 —
568 568 2 142.00 $142.00 $807 -24.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
258 258 2 240.00 $240.00 $619 —
363 363 2 230.00 $230.00 $835 —
468 468 11 201.00 $201.00 $941 —
597 597 6 181.00 $181.00 $1,081 —
628 628 2 161.00 $161.00 $1,011 —
650 650 5 155.00 $155.00 $1,008 —
784 784 4 136.00 $136.00 $1,066 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055–1245 1148 80-85% 3 62.00–64.50 $63.52 $729 —
1105–1580 1314 80-85% 20 66.00–74.00 $69.51 $913 +3.31
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
690–900 800 85-90% 4 24.00–42.00 $33.77 $270 —
780–960 867 85-90% 3 45.00–52.00 $48.05 $417 —
965–1105 1019 85-90% 4 55.50–65.00 $58.97 $601 —
1045–1345 1156 85-90% 6 67.00–72.00 $68.66 $794 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320 1320 75-80% 1 75.00 $75.00 $990 —
1325–1555 1440 75-80% 2 72.00–74.00 $72.92 $1,050 —
1890–1930 1910 75-80% 2 63.00–65.00 $63.99 $1,222 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185 1185 1 75.50 $75.50 $895 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
920–1040 980 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,025.00–1,100.00 $1,064.80
1115 1115 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,425.00 $1,425.00
1180–1640 1367 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 10 800.00–1,050.00 $959.85
1390 1390 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,025.00 $1,025.00
1243–1726 1434 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 69 1,250.00–1,425.00 $1,335.02
Medium and Large 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1025 1025 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 750.00 $750.00
1075 1075 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 800.00 $800.00
1080–1650 1325 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 14 875.00–1,100.00 $1,007.77
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1165–1670 1345 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 15 1,125.00–1,225.00 $1,160.10
Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
790–908 874 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 460.00–650.00 $580.69

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium 2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
850 850 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 1 775.00 $775.00 —

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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.