Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, April 2, 2024

597 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $240.26/cwt ≈ $1,853/hd at 771 lb · 94 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $282.15/cwt ≈ $1,780/hd at 631 lb · 73 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $233.75/cwt ≈ $1,879/hd at 804 lb · 43 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 597 236 218
Feeder cattle 500 46 156
Slaughter cattle 73 157 46
Replacement cattle 24 33 16

Compared to last Tuesday sale on a Back to Grass & Feeder Special; light offering slaughter cows steady instance 1.00 higher, slaughter bulls steady with 2.00-3.00 higher, few feeder cows going back to grass with not enough for a good market test. Feeder calves compared to two weeks ago; steers and heifers unevenly steady on a light comparison. Best advancement on a small package of 771 lb steers, Demand moderate to good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
497 497 12 337.50 $337.50 $1,677
505 505 6 337.00 $337.00 $1,702
576 576 13 323.00 $323.00 $1,860
678 678 40 291.00 $291.00 $1,973
771 771 13 258.00 $258.00 $1,989
804 804 43 233.75 $233.75 $1,879
1049 1049 10 180.00 $180.00 $1,888

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
474 474 14 310.00 $310.00 $1,469
529 529 20 297.00 $297.00 $1,571
609–641 631 73 275.00–285.00 $282.15 $1,780
653–688 666 41 242.00–266.50 $259.83 $1,730
758 758 64 246.00 $246.00 $1,865
799 799 30 228.00 $228.00 $1,822
888 888 9 210.00 $210.00 $1,865
938 938 11 202.50 $202.50 $1,899

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–1090 1020 85-90% 3 91.00–98.00 $95.99 $979
1010–1175 1076 85-90% 7 106.00–113.50 $110.54 $1,189
895–1195 1093 85-90% 6 116.00–122.00 $120.51 $1,317
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250–1350 1278 80-85% 8 123.50–127.00 $124.33 $1,589 +15.31
1210–1338 1287 80-85% 8 109.00–119.50 $116.82 $1,503 +7.80
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1430–1465 1448 75-80% 4 130.50–131.50 $130.99 $1,897
1395–1555 1482 75-80% 3 111.00–118.00 $114.30 $1,694 -0.11

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105–1670 1362 5 121.00–136.50 $128.96 $1,756 +14.72
1175–1620 1432 4 110.00–116.50 $112.46 $1,610
1265–2030 1620 5 119.00–132.00 $127.65 $2,068
1540–1845 1695 7 137.00–148.50 $141.77 $2,403

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
665–1100 906 (<2 yrs)Open 5 142.00–160.00 $149.95 $1,359
1135–1240 1227 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 129.00–131.00 $130.77 $1,605
1285–1340 1313 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 2 122.50–131.00 $126.84 $1,665

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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.