Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 5, 2023

668 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $231.86/cwt -10.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,426/hd at 615 lb · 57 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $244.50/cwt -20.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,457/hd at 596 lb · 54 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $308.67/cwt +16.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,469/hd at 476 lb · 47 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 668 720 1,010
Feeder cattle 668 612 1,010
Slaughter cattle 78
Replacement cattle 30

Compared to last Tuesday sale, on a light offering with lighter test on calves coming in smaller packages. Steers steady instances 10.00 higher, heifers under pressure. Demand moderate to good for 350-550 lb steer calves.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
387 387 17 367.50 $367.50 $1,422 +14.62
455–495 476 47 296.00–316.00 $308.67 $1,469 +16.67
521–548 536 26 267.50–283.00 $273.31 $1,465 +3.44
596 596 54 244.50 $244.50 $1,457 -20.66
602–640 615 57 225.00–241.00 $231.86 $1,426 -10.17
678–692 683 17 216.00–219.00 $217.93 $1,488 -15.24
865 865 12 206.50 $206.50 $1,786
932–941 935 16 195.50 $195.50 $1,828
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 6 281.00 $281.00 $1,391
525 525 13 250.00 $250.00 $1,312

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
329 329 13 250.00 $250.00 $822 -35.78
399 399 20 257.00 $257.00 $1,025 -38.80
463 463 9 250.00 $250.00 $1,158 -8.42
562–572 564 33 223.00–235.00 $232.79 $1,313
600–627 613 43 201.00–214.50 $211.44 $1,296 -0.56
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316 316 25 215.00 $215.00 $679
558 558 13 200.00 $200.00 $1,116
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
442–447 444 14 220.00–225.00 $222.16 $986
474 474 8 222.00 $222.00 $1,052

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
732 732 9 204.00 $204.00 $1,493

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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.