Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 21, 2024

428 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 428 261 571
Feeder cattle 84 123 111
Slaughter cattle 157 89 183
Replacement cattle 187 49 277

Compared to last Tuesday sale, slaughter cows steady to instances 2.00-3.00 lower, slaughter bulls instances 2.00 higher and feeder cows and bull mostly returning to feed. Not enough feeder calves for a good market test. Demand good with good buyer participation and attendance.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
535 535 8 315.00 $315.00 $1,685
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 560 5 287.50 $287.50 $1,610

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
527 527 5 300.00 $300.00 $1,581
555 555 6 282.00 $282.00 $1,565

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–1190 1075 85-90% 23 110.00–120.00 $114.44 $1,230 -8.26
975–1175 1096 85-90% 23 120.50–128.50 $123.65 $1,355 +0.95
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1395 1258 80-85% 5 117.50–121.00 $118.97 $1,497
1210–1365 1263 80-85% 16 122.00–129.00 $125.54 $1,586
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1460–1492 1481 75-80% 3 134.00–134.50 $134.16 $1,987

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1361–1740 1523 9 138.00–158.50 $144.82 $2,206
1400–1905 1723 7 139.00–151.00 $147.33 $2,538
1695–2055 1856 20 155.00–169.00 $160.61 $2,981 -2.83

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
835–1265 1094 (<2 yrs)Open 38 153.50–183.00 $170.73 $1,868
1085–1175 1123 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 6 107.00–111.50 $109.48 $1,229
1052–1247 1147 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 29 128.00–154.00 $133.48 $1,531
625–1415 1178 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 20 119.00–126.00 $123.48 $1,455
1212–1625 1402 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 60 127.00–155.50 $133.04 $1,865

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Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
825–1250 995 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 2,150.00 $2,150.00
1193–1350 1232 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 1,650.00–1,700.00 $1,686.31
1295–1420 1317 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 6 1,650.00–1,750.00 $1,708.22

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Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
993–1035 1004 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 4 2,375.00–2,410.00 $2,384.02

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Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1325–1665 1520 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 2,150.00–2,300.00 $2,216.17

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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.