Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, November 17, 2020

3,393 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Winter Livestock Auction report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $177.25/cwt +0.76 vs last sale · ≈ $838/hd at 473 lb · 344 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $155.28/cwt +3.23 vs last sale · ≈ $742/hd at 478 lb · 327 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $155.73/cwt +4.96 vs last sale · ≈ $881/hd at 566 lb · 323 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,393 5,539 4,051
Feeder cattle 3,393 5,539 4,051

Compared to last Tuesday, on a special feeder and yearling sale; feeder steers 400-595 lbs mostly steady with 1.00-2.00 higher, instances 6.00-8.00, feeder heifers 350-550 lbs mostly steady with instances 2.00-5.00 higher. Others traded steady with lower undertones noted. Not enough yearlings for a good market test. Demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
273 273 9 182.50 $182.50 $498 -6.50
313–346 327 14 182.50–191.00 $186.35 $609 +3.20
367–385 376 101 184.00–193.75 $190.53 $716 -3.42
405–434 419 104 173.50–189.00 $182.66 $765 -0.02
450–497 473 344 171.00–184.50 $177.25 $838 +0.76
500–548 526 260 162.50–175.00 $167.20 $879 +3.14
551 fancy 551 42 165.00 $165.00 $909
550–597 568 281 149.00–158.75 $154.34 $877 +3.57
612–640 625 171 136.50–146.00 $142.42 $890 -0.95
685 685 10 131.00 $131.00 $897 -14.05
701–702 702 16 134.00–144.00 $140.25 $985 +5.43
803 803 7 143.00 $143.00 $1,148
855 855 6 139.00 $139.00 $1,188 -1.91
919 919 10 132.00 $132.00 $1,213
968 968 23 129.00 $129.00 $1,249 -0.32
1027 1027 5 119.00 $119.00 $1,222
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
337 337 11 161.00 $161.00 $543
412–435 424 14 144.50–153.00 $148.87 $631
484–499 490 67 155.00–167.00 $161.58 $792
503 503 9 167.00 $167.00 $840
553–579 571 41 141.00–144.00 $142.04 $811
630 630 10 131.00 $131.00 $825

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
337 337 7 162.50 $162.50 $548 -4.80
350–382 369 108 152.50–166.50 $162.90 $601 +6.56
403–448 429 161 154.00–163.75 $158.76 $681 -2.22
454–496 478 327 149.50–157.50 $155.28 $742 +3.23
516–538 533 158 138.00–149.00 $143.77 $766 +4.94
555–597 570 109 125.00–132.00 $128.08 $730 -8.87
610–615 611 24 131.00–132.50 $132.12 $807 -0.63
665 665 7 131.00 $131.00 $871 -1.56
737 737 24 133.50 $133.50 $984
763 763 5 132.00 $132.00 $1,007 -11.50
764 764 17 135.00 $135.00 $1,031 -8.50
960 960 14 129.00 $129.00 $1,238
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355–390 372 23 120.00–122.50 $121.25 $451
483–485 484 19 132.00–133.50 $132.63 $642 -6.73
519–543 527 65 132.00–135.00 $133.41 $703
648 648 12 123.00 $123.00 $797

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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.