Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 20, 2024

1,305 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $293.80/cwt ≈ $1,877/hd at 639 lb · 172 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $259.74/cwt ≈ $1,842/hd at 709 lb · 116 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $310.85/cwt ≈ $1,809/hd at 582 lb · 108 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,305 1,623 1,330
Feeder cattle 1,170 99 1,217
Slaughter cattle 53 203 90
Replacement cattle 82 1,321 23

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday on a Special Feeder Calf today light offering slaughter cows and bulls with market firm. Mostly feeder cows going back to feed with price holding firm. Feeder calves good demand with good buyer participation, compared to two weeks ago; steady to firm.

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
316 316 8 360.00 $360.00 $1,138 —
373 373 9 310.00 $310.00 $1,156 —
438 438 26 340.00 $340.00 $1,489 —
466 466 6 325.00 $325.00 $1,514 +20.00
505–543 526 73 312.50–330.50 $324.89 $1,709 —
550–586 582 108 294.00–318.25 $310.85 $1,809 —
604–648 639 172 279.00–305.00 $293.80 $1,877 —
650–685 671 81 267.00–284.50 $274.82 $1,844 —
701–717 709 116 258.00–262.50 $259.74 $1,842 —
769 769 5 241.00 $241.00 $1,853 —
802 802 67 234.50 $234.50 $1,881 —
862 862 22 221.00 $221.00 $1,905 +19.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
316–343 337 42 280.00–319.00 $311.17 $1,049 —
433 433 7 235.00 $235.00 $1,018 -61.47
453 453 16 317.50 $317.50 $1,438 —
503–549 520 36 281.00–305.00 $295.38 $1,536 +9.38
552–594 574 72 263.00–282.75 $275.07 $1,579 —
645 645 49 265.50 $265.50 $1,712 —
675–693 685 13 226.50–230.00 $228.09 $1,562 -23.91
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
597 597 7 251.00 $251.00 $1,498 —
621–633 627 14 235.00–237.50 $236.24 $1,481 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
848–940 866 85-90% 5 80.00–83.00 $82.35 $713 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265 1265 80-85% 1 95.00 $95.00 $1,202 -10.91
1280–1295 1288 80-85% 2 102.00–110.50 $106.27 $1,369 +0.36
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1405–1450 1428 75-80% 2 95.50–105.50 $100.42 $1,434 —
1435 1435 75-80% 1 102.50 $102.50 $1,471 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1730 1217 3 100.00–111.00 $105.21 $1,280 -20.95
1620–2080 1823 7 111.00–116.00 $113.10 $2,062 -0.82

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
950–1240 1087 (<2 yrs)Open 6 138.00–155.00 $144.28 $1,568
1041–1255 1129 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 110.00–128.00 $115.29 $1,302
930–1255 1145 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 5 88.00–92.50 $90.53 $1,037
1090–1233 1167 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 19 95.00–105.50 $101.26 $1,182
1186–1530 1334 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 34 92.00–113.00 $104.80 $1,398

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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.