Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 3, 2023

1,874 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $226.71/cwt ≈ $1,972/hd at 870 lb · 282 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $309.39/cwt -3.11 vs last sale · ≈ $1,671/hd at 540 lb · 106 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $271.68/cwt -21.70 vs last sale · ≈ $1,584/hd at 583 lb · 80 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,874 1,388 1,714
Feeder cattle 1,559 1,239 1,714
Slaughter cattle 130 92 0
Replacement cattle 185 57 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday on a calf and yearling special; Light offering slaughter cows steady to instances 6.00 lower, slaughter bulls not as attractive as last week 2.00-4.00 lower, with good run feeder cows going back to feed. Yearling steers and heifers unevenly steady, feeder steer calves under 500 lbs mostly steady instances lower undertones noted, over 600 lbs light comparisons, heifer calves steady to lower undertones noted, Demand good to moderate with good buyer participation.

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
298 298 5 372.50 $372.50 $1,110 —
363 363 9 362.50 $362.50 $1,316 -32.50
404–445 425 24 323.00–352.50 $335.37 $1,425 —
458–498 480 60 302.50–330.00 $319.00 $1,531 +4.87
516–547 540 106 300.00–320.00 $309.39 $1,671 -3.11
559–567 fancy 563 16 293.00–295.00 $293.88 $1,655 -2.12
583–594 588 64 260.00–272.00 $266.13 $1,565 -18.80
606–636 unweaned 630 26 254.00–256.50 $256.04 $1,613 —
662–666 unweaned 664 13 242.00–250.50 $247.24 $1,642 —
710 710 21 242.50 $242.50 $1,722 -18.50
837 837 5 235.00 $235.00 $1,967 -7.28
942 942 11 235.50 $235.50 $2,218 -7.00
961 961 13 230.00 $230.00 $2,210 -3.39
1016 1016 8 221.00 $221.00 $2,245 -2.50
1059 1059 12 221.50 $221.50 $2,346 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
521–548 531 13 263.00–267.50 $265.72 $1,411 —
561 561 11 253.00 $253.00 $1,419 —
595 thin fleshed 595 31 245.00 $245.00 $1,458 —
900–906 903 12 201.00–205.00 $202.67 $1,830 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
344 344 12 295.00 $295.00 $1,015 -57.00
377–387 380 17 313.00–327.00 $322.81 $1,227 -3.69
433 433 12 288.00 $288.00 $1,247 -12.82
456–499 470 19 252.50–271.00 $264.79 $1,245 -12.92
514–543 531 67 245.00–255.00 $247.51 $1,314 -23.47
556–581 564 45 225.00–243.00 $234.64 $1,323 -33.11
600 unweaned 600 16 237.50 $237.50 $1,425 —
657 unweaned 657 12 231.00 $231.00 $1,518 —
667–688 678 15 222.00–232.50 $227.68 $1,544 -18.82
735 735 7 228.00 $228.00 $1,676 -15.50
753–796 766 36 223.50–235.00 $231.35 $1,772 -0.65
755–788 781 32 217.50–234.00 $230.51 $1,800 -1.49
868–870 870 276 225.50–227.50 $227.07 $1,976 —
870 870 6 210.00 $210.00 $1,827 —
912 912 15 227.00 $227.00 $2,070 —
962 962 12 220.00 $220.00 $2,116 —
1007 1007 17 216.50 $216.50 $2,180 —
1042 1042 8 209.00 $209.00 $2,178 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1029 1029 5 191.00 $191.00 $1,965 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1204–1275 1237 80-85% 14 91.00–97.00 $94.22 $1,166 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920–1155 1020 85-90% 3 95.00–101.00 $97.56 $995 —
1095–1145 1118 85-90% 7 85.00–91.50 $88.38 $988 -12.62
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1435 1435 75-80% 1 103.50 $103.50 $1,485 —
1480–1835 1644 75-80% 6 95.00–97.00 $95.59 $1,571 -9.12

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350–1428 1381 5 101.00 $101.00 $1,395 —
1487–1885 1658 18 106.00–113.50 $108.52 $1,799 —
1350–1705 1664 1,678 102.50–108.00 $107.98 $1,797 —
1885–2135 2005 4 114.00–117.00 $116.08 $2,327 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
825–1090 967 (<2 yrs)Open 16 120.00–142.50 $126.49 $1,223
890–1210 1020 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 70 105.00–116.50 $111.87 $1,141
1013–1247 1106 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 38 92.00–103.00 $97.79 $1,082
1207–1465 1271 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 15 98.50–103.00 $100.63 $1,279
1218–1517 1336 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 9 90.50–97.00 $94.72 $1,265

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
976 976 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,450.00 $1,450.00
1086 1086 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,500.00 $1,500.00
1323–1330 1325 Aged (>8 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 6 1,225.00–1,250.00 $1,233.36

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1071 1071 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 7 1,950.00 $1,950.00 —
1205 1205 Young (2-4 yrs)1st/2nd Stage (1-6 mo) 1 2,025.00 $2,025.00 —

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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.