Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 17, 2024

356 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $351.00/cwt -23.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,850/hd at 527 lb · 48 head
heavy 3-weight M 1-2 heifers $338.50/cwt ≈ $1,252/hd at 370 lb · 32 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $306.50/cwt +5.48 vs last sale · ≈ $1,851/hd at 604 lb · 20 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 356 1,750 583
Feeder cattle 54 1,750 331
Slaughter cattle 272 — 71
Replacement cattle 30 — 181

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday, light offering on last sale of 2024. Cows and bulls steady with no comparisons available, feeder calves not enough offering for a good market test. Demand moderate. No sale until JANUARY 7, 2025 with a special feeder calf sale.

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
433 433 14 375.00 $375.00 $1,624 -26.82
495 495 7 351.00 $351.00 $1,737 -22.21
527 527 48 351.00 $351.00 $1,850 -23.52
604 604 20 306.50 $306.50 $1,851 +5.48

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Feeder Heifers

Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
306 306 14 352.50 $352.50 $1,079 —
370 370 32 338.50 $338.50 $1,252 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
493 493 8 299.00 $299.00 $1,474 +29.24
510 510 5 303.00 $303.00 $1,545 +6.69
601–619 611 15 255.00–260.00 $257.30 $1,572 +6.77

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1705–1810 1744 75-80% 6 122.00–128.50 $125.79 $2,194 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1230–1375 1321 80-85% 4 104.00–111.00 $107.17 $1,416 —
1420 1420 80-85% 1 93.50 $93.50 $1,328 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1185 1143 85-90% 2 106.00–106.50 $106.26 $1,215 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145–1442 1343 3 131.00–143.00 $139.59 $1,875 —
1085–1600 1385 5 116.00–128.00 $120.87 $1,674 —
2040–2075 2058 2 138.50–139.00 $138.75 $2,855 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
846–1010 901 (<2 yrs)Open 6 174.50 $174.50 $1,572
1045–1307 1198 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 5 124.00–135.00 $130.95 $1,569
1150–1300 1212 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 10 107.00–116.00 $113.28 $1,373
1275–1535 1401 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 9 108.00–114.00 $111.41 $1,561

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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.