Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 19, 2024

810 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $296.82/cwt ≈ $1,865/hd at 628 lb · 105 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $322.06/cwt ≈ $1,981/hd at 615 lb · 74 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $352.18/cwt ≈ $1,736/hd at 493 lb · 68 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 810 417 963
Feeder cattle 614 60 681
Slaughter cattle 101 116 208
Replacement cattle 95 241 74

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday, on a special feeder calf sale; slaughter cows steady instances 10.00 higher on individual, slaughter bulls firm instances 14.00-18.00 higher, with feeder cows firm. Feeder calves compared to two weeks ago; feeder steers 12.00-19.00 higher, instances 23.00, weighing between 500-750 lb, heifers unevenly steady with most advances on 600 lb replacement quality heifer calves . Demand good with good buyer activity.

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
459–497 493 68 335.00–354.00 $352.18 $1,736 —
521–538 527 14 327.50–350.75 $342.27 $1,804 —
585–590 588 27 313.50–335.00 $321.14 $1,888 —
611–625 615 74 310.00–325.00 $322.06 $1,981 —
657 657 6 260.00 $260.00 $1,708 —
672 672 11 294.00 $294.00 $1,976 —
700–720 708 40 281.75–282.50 $282.06 $1,997 —
799 799 9 243.00 $243.00 $1,942 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
489 489 19 318.00 $318.00 $1,555 —
520 520 9 295.00 $295.00 $1,534 —
562–596 572 25 262.00–288.00 $280.00 $1,602 —
605–635 625 77 273.00–293.00 $288.75 $1,805 —
637 637 28 319.00 $319.00 $2,032 —
741 741 22 225.25 $225.25 $1,669 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1191 1140 85-90% 7 120.00–123.00 $121.66 $1,387 +5.74
1100–1195 1150 85-90% 3 100.00–110.00 $103.52 $1,190 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1310 1296 80-85% 5 116.50–122.00 $119.22 $1,545 +15.22
1260–1475 1368 80-85% 5 105.50–121.00 $114.80 $1,570 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1425–1700 1563 75-80% 2 123.50–135.00 $128.74 $2,012 —
1345–1950 1603 75-80% 5 106.00–117.00 $110.56 $1,772 -1.61

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1411–1510 1436 4 130.00–136.50 $134.79 $1,936 —
1395–1645 1583 6 115.00–123.00 $120.10 $1,901 —
1510–1902 1781 8 130.00–142.50 $138.41 $2,465 —
1827–2490 2020 10 144.00–158.00 $151.28 $3,056 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
890–1235 1084 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 29 110.00–123.00 $117.54 $1,274
910–1281 1150 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 90.00–98.00 $92.05 $1,059
1105–1250 1192 (<2 yrs)Open 6 130.00–141.00 $133.84 $1,595
1325–1380 1347 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 25 115.50–118.50 $117.23 $1,579
1250–1500 1428 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 34 120.00–129.00 $123.70 $1,766

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1435–1575 1547 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 5 2,300.00–2,850.00 $2,747.96 —

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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.