Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, October 17, 2023

3,039 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $295.48/cwt +6.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,406/hd at 476 lb · 284 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $319.38/cwt +16.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,671/hd at 523 lb · 274 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $290.79/cwt +6.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,659/hd at 571 lb · 272 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,039 3,854 2,790
Feeder cattle 3,039 3,587 2,790
Slaughter cattle — 63 —
Replacement cattle — 204 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday sale on a calf and yearling special; Yearlings on a lighter offering than last week mostly steady with higher overtones noted. Feeder calves reputation quality higher overtones noted,steer and heifer calves from 450-650 lbs showed most advances. 300-400 lb calves lower undertones noted. Demand good with good buyer participation. Cows, bulls along with bred cows and pairs are on Fridays.

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
285 285 9 397.50 $397.50 $1,133 —
341 341 15 360.00 $360.00 $1,228 -15.31
362–393 382 29 350.00–379.50 $362.23 $1,384 -19.42
413–442 430 53 359.00–374.00 $365.08 $1,570 +4.10
452–457 fancy 453 23 360.00 $360.00 $1,631 +16.34
456–481 472 141 331.00–358.00 $340.78 $1,608 +12.91
509 fancy 509 30 336.50 $336.50 $1,713 —
508–547 525 244 303.50–331.00 $317.27 $1,666 +14.55
561–564 fancy 562 165 303.50–303.75 $303.67 $1,707 —
555–596 584 107 262.50–286.00 $270.92 $1,582 -13.46
600–639 620 209 253.50–276.00 $266.95 $1,655 +5.52
653–694 670 68 240.00–263.00 $253.22 $1,697 -8.13
714–745 722 30 240.00–258.00 $246.82 $1,782 -4.74
798 798 62 260.75 $260.75 $2,081 +16.75
842 thin fleshed 842 17 247.50 $247.50 $2,084 —
889 889 5 244.00 $244.00 $2,169 +12.00
958 958 6 235.00 $235.00 $2,251 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
485–498 491 49 308.00–324.00 $314.52 $1,544 —
540–548 542 44 299.00–303.00 $301.90 $1,636 +31.90

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370–390 377 47 335.00–354.00 $345.56 $1,303 +17.04
405–444 423 77 296.00–326.00 $314.98 $1,332 -2.70
450–489 476 284 280.00–310.00 $295.48 $1,406 +6.03
501–549 520 103 250.00–274.50 $262.60 $1,366 +3.57
535 535 121 287.75 $287.75 $1,539 +28.72
545 thin fleshed 545 19 252.00 $252.00 $1,373 —
550–593 572 144 244.00–259.50 $251.76 $1,440 +3.31
582 582 41 272.00 $272.00 $1,583 +23.55
608–633 616 16 243.00–250.00 $247.75 $1,526 —
676–689 683 40 231.00–246.50 $239.60 $1,636 —
710–740 719 20 240.00–244.50 $243.11 $1,748 +11.50
741 741 11 238.50 $238.50 $1,767 +6.89
860 860 44 222.50 $222.50 $1,914 -3.56
923 923 9 220.00 $220.00 $2,031 -5.50
961 961 8 212.00 $212.00 $2,037 —
1015 1015 6 210.00 $210.00 $2,132 ±0.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
398 398 8 301.00 $301.00 $1,198 —
473 473 8 250.00 $250.00 $1,182 -21.76

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
478 478 10 329.00 $329.00 $1,573 —

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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.