Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, February 17, 2026

1,440 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $520.63/cwt ≈ $2,817/hd at 541 lb · 91 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $499.55/cwt ≈ $2,528/hd at 506 lb · 48 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $373.50/cwt ≈ $2,682/hd at 718 lb · 41 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,440 406 1,058
Feeder cattle 567 148 727
Slaughter cattle 173 39 121
Replacement cattle 700 219 210

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday sale on a bred cow and feeder calf special; Slaughter cows mostly steady with several slaughter bulls instances 5.00-17.00 higher, cows returning to feed or to be bred was the majority of cow sale. Couple hundred bred cows with good demand. Feeder calves mostly steady to instances 2.00-6.00 higher. Demand moderate to good with good buyer participation.

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
411–421 420 41 570.00–600.00 $594.66 $2,498 —
454–465 460 12 531.00–560.00 $545.67 $2,510 —
509–548 541 91 482.00–526.00 $520.63 $2,817 —
590 590 33 490.50 $490.50 $2,894 —
642 642 8 432.00 $432.00 $2,773 —
675–686 681 16 386.00–413.00 $399.39 $2,720 —
736 736 5 360.00 $360.00 $2,650 —
782 782 7 369.50 $369.50 $2,889 —
806 806 5 361.00 $361.00 $2,910 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417–431 424 21 495.00–520.00 $507.11 $2,150 —
460–472 464 19 481.00–482.00 $481.63 $2,235 +27.63
505–517 506 48 497.00–521.00 $499.55 $2,528 —
556 556 6 455.00 $455.00 $2,530 —
606 606 6 422.00 $422.00 $2,557 +41.00
718 718 41 373.50 $373.50 $2,682 —
754 754 18 360.00 $360.00 $2,714 —
762 762 9 343.00 $343.00 $2,614 —
847 847 5 313.50 $313.50 $2,655 —
873 873 5 289.00 $289.00 $2,523 —

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1186 1117 85-90% 27 143.00–157.00 $147.52 $1,648 -16.98
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1400–2125 1590 75-80% 12 145.00–157.50 $151.97 $2,416 +2.35
1505–1735 1595 75-80% 7 158.00–159.50 $158.98 $2,536 +9.36
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225–1330 1279 80-85% 7 137.00–151.00 $143.32 $1,833 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080 1080 1 147.50 $147.50 $1,593 —
1357–1661 1560 7 173.00–190.00 $184.45 $2,877 —
1641 1641 3 157.50 $157.50 $2,585 —
1750–2185 1879 13 195.50–210.00 $204.04 $3,834 —
1700–2290 1984 6 177.50–185.00 $180.51 $3,581 -5.77
2217 2217 2 158.00 $158.00 $3,503 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
895–1084 989 (<2 yrs)Open 16 271.00–298.00 $277.33 $2,743
975–1240 1150 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 41 157.50–171.00 $165.56 $1,904
983–1362 1244 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 82 173.00–194.00 $179.51 $2,233
1270–1635 1382 Aged (>8 yrs)Open 27 156.00–165.00 $162.29 $2,243
1305–1650 1391 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 153 169.00–183.50 $175.59 $2,442
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
880–1145 1053 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 10 207.00–232.50 $221.25 $2,330

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
952–1175 1071 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 35 3,175.00–3,925.00 $3,556.26
1086–1325 1146 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 50 3,800.00–4,225.00 $4,085.43
1122–1355 1246 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 48 2,700.00–3,100.00 $2,896.91
1258–1410 1306 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 17 3,000.00–3,325.00 $3,149.95
1279–1460 1336 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 86 3,000.00–3,525.00 $3,335.78
1262–1480 1340 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 48 3,425.00–3,875.00 $3,669.57

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
872–1086 1030 (<2 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 13 3,400.00–3,475.00 $3,433.91
1092 1092 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 14 4,000.00 $4,000.00

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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.