Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Auction Market Report

Riverton, Wyoming · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 17, 2026

473 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $356.63/cwt ≈ $2,553/hd at 716 lb · 72 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $427.46/cwt +22.46 vs last sale · ≈ $2,518/hd at 589 lb · 44 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $448.00/cwt ≈ $2,930/hd at 654 lb · 22 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 473 358 742
Feeder cattle 347 66 584
Slaughter cattle 70 46 56
Replacement cattle 56 246 102

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last Tuesday sale; light offering slaughter cows steady with slaughter bulls instances 5.00 higher several stocker cows returning to feed or replacements. Few packages bred cows with most advancement on package heifers pairs bringing $4925.00. Several packages feeder steers and heifers with higher overtones noted. Demand 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
423–432 428 12 531.00–545.00 $536.76 $2,297 —
483–495 491 17 508.00–524.00 $518.44 $2,546 —
533 533 5 508.50 $508.50 $2,710 —
550 550 5 495.00 $495.00 $2,722 +53.50
643 643 5 437.50 $437.50 $2,813 +17.50
654 654 22 448.00 $448.00 $2,930 —
715 715 17 405.00 $405.00 $2,896 —
750–761 756 17 391.00–392.50 $391.61 $2,961 —
815–848 836 14 359.00 $359.00 $3,001 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–384 365 11 500.00–525.00 $513.06 $1,873 —
538 538 12 443.50 $443.50 $2,386 —
585–590 589 44 419.25–428.75 $427.46 $2,518 +22.46
639 639 5 392.50 $392.50 $2,508 —
664 664 10 377.50 $377.50 $2,507 —
706–746 716 72 332.50–366.25 $356.63 $2,553 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1535 1446 75-80% 5 155.00–163.00 $159.32 $2,304 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1555 1555 1 188.00 $188.00 $2,923 —
1985–2430 2217 4 190.00–202.00 $197.37 $4,376 —

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1025–1120 1087 (<2 yrs)Open 7 227.50–252.00 $241.29 $2,623
1025–1595 1228 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 9 153.00–161.00 $158.12 $1,942
1202–1301 1258 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 10 190.00–215.00 $195.06 $2,454
1252–1430 1311 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 176.00–185.00 $179.27 $2,350
1410–1685 1586 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 16 160.00–179.00 $168.74 $2,676

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1211 1211 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 3 3,500.00 $3,500.00
1260–1575 1442 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 8 2,850.00–3,475.00 $3,194.59
1595 1595 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 3,025.00 $3,025.00
1647 1647 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 3,100.00 $3,100.00

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Bred Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
990–1185 1076 (<2 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 5 3,000.00–3,900.00 $3,734.36

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1052 1052 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 20 4,925.00 $4,925.00 —

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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.