Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 8, 2020

1,319 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $173.87/cwt +8.25 vs last sale · ≈ $894/hd at 514 lb · 150 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 steers $186.14/cwt +4.59 vs last sale · ≈ $791/hd at 425 lb · 139 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $154.00/cwt -0.28 vs last sale · ≈ $722/hd at 469 lb · 81 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,319 1,749 1,472
Feeder cattle 1,319 1,749 1,472

Compared to last Tuesday on a light offering feeder steers unevenly steady with best advances on 500 lb steers, not enough yearlings for a good market test. Heifers under pressure with lower undertones noted. 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
346 346 14 189.00 $189.00 $654 +4.52
368–397 387 69 180.00–189.75 $187.99 $728 +2.86
411–446 425 139 176.00–192.00 $186.14 $791 +4.59
463–477 467 29 165.00–170.00 $167.64 $783 -5.20
509–532 512 79 160.00–175.00 $168.37 $862 +2.75
516 fancy 516 71 180.00 $180.00 $929
550–588 567 75 151.75–165.00 $159.30 $903 +4.83
601 601 5 148.50 $148.50 $892 +1.70
661–698 681 33 130.50–139.00 $134.09 $913 -3.26
718–720 719 10 134.00–136.50 $135.25 $972 -5.83
917–926 920 14 129.00 $129.00 $1,187 -5.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
329 329 10 166.00 $166.00 $546
456 456 7 163.00 $163.00 $743 +22.00
500 500 6 153.00 $153.00 $765 -0.28
582 582 8 149.00 $149.00 $867

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
307–341 331 25 161.00–162.00 $161.74 $535 +4.74
369–392 376 48 155.75–162.50 $160.45 $603 -8.55
405–447 438 80 149.00–157.50 $155.77 $682 +1.07
458–481 469 81 150.00–157.50 $154.00 $722 -0.28
508–545 533 76 138.00–149.00 $146.18 $779 +1.27
556–586 571 35 132.50–140.50 $136.28 $778 -5.84
621–634 629 18 128.00–130.00 $129.23 $813 -6.81
668 668 6 124.00 $124.00 $828 -10.63
702 702 5 121.00 $121.00 $849 -10.40
968 968 10 111.00 $111.00 $1,074
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 6 135.00 $135.00 $675

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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.