Cattle Market Pulse

Lonestar Stockyards Market Report

Wildorado, Texas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 17, 2024

1,599 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $280.57/cwt +8.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,414/hd at 504 lb · 114 head
light 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $305.74/cwt +10.74 vs last sale · ≈ $1,293/hd at 423 lb · 95 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $263.75/cwt ≈ $1,575/hd at 597 lb · 82 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,599 1,329 796
Feeder cattle 1,308 1,253 690
Slaughter cattle 40 31 44
Replacement cattle 251 45 62

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: All classes of steers and heifers traded mostly 1.00 to 5.00 lower, with larger declines noted on 500 to 600 pound steers. Not enough comparable sales on slaughter cows and bulls for a market trend but a lower undertone was noted. 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
398 398 2 380.00 $380.00 $1,512 +5.00
424 424 35 370.00 $370.00 $1,569 —
466–493 474 14 326.00–332.00 $330.22 $1,565 —
523 523 13 326.00 $326.00 $1,705 -25.33
565–584 580 65 293.00–310.00 $297.98 $1,728 -21.23
587 unweaned 587 3 291.00 $291.00 $1,708 —
623–627 624 17 292.00–294.00 $293.41 $1,831 +7.39
677–691 681 37 260.00–270.00 $267.26 $1,820 -7.73
754–768 761 25 244.00–247.00 $245.55 $1,869 +9.55
778 778 12 236.00 $236.00 $1,836 ±0.00
813 813 10 238.50 $238.50 $1,939 +14.24
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 2 342.00 $342.00 $1,180 +43.14
375 375 5 356.00 $356.00 $1,335 +28.50
461 461 59 337.00 $337.00 $1,554 +39.50
515–520 515 30 312.00–314.00 $313.87 $1,616 —
626 626 40 283.50 $283.50 $1,775 +16.56
652 652 9 231.50 $231.50 $1,509 —
686 686 8 262.00 $262.00 $1,797 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364 364 8 347.00 $347.00 $1,263 -8.46
402–420 403 32 324.00–348.00 $346.44 $1,396 +30.44
470–486 481 17 292.00–306.00 $301.98 $1,453 -3.75
505–529 516 46 289.00–296.50 $292.08 $1,507 —
591 591 38 264.50 $264.50 $1,563 +4.50
638 638 24 257.00 $257.00 $1,640 +24.00
660 660 2 230.00 $230.00 $1,518 -10.00
662 662 61 253.00 $253.00 $1,675 +13.00
702–714 707 26 227.00–229.00 $227.85 $1,611 -5.15
764 764 70 238.00 $238.00 $1,818 —
908 908 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,816 —
910 910 12 191.00 $191.00 $1,738 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
339 thin fleshed 339 9 340.00 $340.00 $1,153 —
420–445 423 95 296.00–317.00 $305.74 $1,293 +10.74
502–543 504 114 272.00–281.00 $280.57 $1,414 —
597 597 82 263.75 $263.75 $1,575 —
698 698 6 226.00 $226.00 $1,577 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 6 357.00 $357.00 $1,378 —
500 500 1 325.00 $325.00 $1,625 +37.50
577 577 6 269.00 $269.00 $1,552 —
638 638 6 247.00 $247.00 $1,576 —
725 725 4 222.00 $222.00 $1,610 +1.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
459 459 5 280.00 $280.00 $1,285 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
820–965 893 85-90% 2 90.00–100.00 $94.59 $845 —
905–990 943 85-90% 3 75.00–82.00 $78.11 $737 -46.89
985 985 85-90% 1 109.00 $109.00 $1,074 —
1015–1153 1107 85-90% 8 90.00–97.50 $92.64 $1,026 —
1150 1150 85-90% 1 102.00 $102.00 $1,173 +1.00
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1265 1133 80-85% 2 104.00–107.00 $105.68 $1,197 —
1340–1530 1435 80-85% 2 103.50 $103.50 $1,485 —
1465 1465 80-85% 1 113.00 $113.00 $1,655 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1450 1450 75-80% 2 104.50 $104.50 $1,515 —
1548–1560 1552 75-80% 3 109.50 $109.50 $1,699 +2.97

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295 1295 1 155.00 $155.00 $2,007 —
1355–1700 1527 3 125.50–130.00 $127.94 $1,954 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
753 753 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 13 177.50 $177.50 $1,337
985–1200 1190 (<2 yrs)Open 22 183.50–195.00 $183.93 $2,189

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1161–1303 1196 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 28 1,950.00 $1,950.00
1110–1223 1199 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 35 2,125.00–2,175.00 $2,141.87
1066–1625 1209 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 10 2,050.00–2,200.00 $2,149.51
1215 1215 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 2,700.00 $2,700.00
1167–1660 1258 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 12 2,275.00–2,600.00 $2,361.36
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
861 861 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 6 1,625.00 $1,625.00
1206–1253 1218 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 8 1,725.00–1,875.00 $1,763.59

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
945 945 (<2 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 17 1,875.00 $1,875.00
954 954 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 29 2,275.00 $2,275.00
1116 1116 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 2,475.00 $2,475.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
749–918 765 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 33 1,500.00–1,800.00 $1,636.07
897 897 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 2,050.00 $2,050.00

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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.