Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 15, 2020

829 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $137.72/cwt +8.49 vs last sale · ≈ $845/hd at 614 lb · 98 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $154.18/cwt +0.18 vs last sale · ≈ $754/hd at 489 lb · 86 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $148.84/cwt +2.66 vs last sale · ≈ $772/hd at 519 lb · 82 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 829 1,319 462
Feeder cattle 829 1,319 462

Market comments — USDA reporter

Last feeder calves for 2020 on a light offering, feeder steers mostly steady with heifer calves lower undertones, only replacement quality heifers higher overtones noted. Demand moderate. Next feeder calf sale January 5th, 2021.

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
342–343 342 19 188.50–190.00 $188.90 $646 -0.10
416–433 419 39 177.00–181.50 $180.67 $757 -5.47
450–485 462 37 168.50–175.50 $170.17 $786 +2.53
532–534 533 43 161.00–169.50 $167.56 $893 -0.81
579–584 582 14 147.00–150.50 $148.74 $866 -10.56
605 605 6 151.00 $151.00 $914 +2.50
1011 1011 16 122.50 $122.50 $1,238 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 16 141.00 $141.00 $491 -20.74
356–399 374 33 140.00–151.00 $144.53 $541 -15.92
411–433 421 59 149.00–152.00 $150.40 $633 -5.37
460–498 489 86 148.50–158.00 $154.18 $754 +0.18
501–534 519 82 142.00–150.50 $148.84 $772 +2.66
607 607 61 143.25 $143.25 $870 +14.02
624–630 625 37 128.00–130.50 $128.61 $804 -0.62
813–830 823 14 97.00–101.00 $98.69 $812 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
494–497 495 13 122.50–131.50 $126.67 $627 —
505 505 8 130.00 $130.00 $656 -5.00

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
667 667 10 129.50 $129.50 $864 —

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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.