Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Market Report

Dodge City, Kansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 17, 2023

1,401 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $180.03/cwt +2.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,483/hd at 824 lb · 134 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $176.00/cwt +9.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,646/hd at 935 lb · 98 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $177.13/cwt +3.61 vs last sale · ≈ $1,720/hd at 971 lb · 97 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,401 1,454 2,220
Feeder cattle 1,149 1,071 1,754
Slaughter cattle 194 344 459
Replacement cattle 58 39 7

Market comments — USDA reporter

***Note *** Next week May 24, Winter Livestock will have their graze off special sale *** Final Report *** Compared to last week, feeder steers 600 lb to 950 lb sold 6.00 to 9.00 higher. Not enough steers 400 lb to 600 lb for a market test, however a higher trend was noted. Feeder heifers 750 lb to 975 lb sold steady. Heifers 600 lb to 750 lb sold 5.00 to 6.00 higher. Not enough heifer calves 400 lb to 600 lb for a market test, however a higher trend was noted. Demand was good. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady to 2.00 higher.

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
373–391 thin fleshed 378 19 271.00–285.00 $275.12 $1,040 —
380 380 1 225.00 $225.00 $855 -45.00
423–449 437 9 205.00–217.50 $212.13 $927 —
443 thin fleshed 443 3 260.00 $260.00 $1,152 +27.00
470–473 thin fleshed 471 13 251.00–261.00 $257.14 $1,211 +4.88
495 495 2 232.00 $232.00 $1,148 —
520 thin fleshed 520 13 267.50 $267.50 $1,391 +24.50
520–545 536 4 232.50–250.00 $236.86 $1,270 +16.86
555–587 581 5 222.50–225.00 $224.52 $1,304 -3.10
614–648 thin fleshed 620 59 235.00–249.00 $246.27 $1,527 +12.88
600–640 621 10 210.00–218.00 $214.16 $1,330 —
674 thin fleshed 674 22 223.00 $223.00 $1,503 -3.00
652–696 685 21 202.00–215.00 $208.90 $1,431 +6.90
710 710 16 202.00 $202.00 $1,434 +8.33
757–788 787 46 203.25–207.50 $203.43 $1,601 +7.43
807 thin fleshed 807 59 204.50 $204.50 $1,650 —
814 814 29 195.00 $195.00 $1,587 +5.53
860 860 24 186.50 $186.50 $1,604 +9.62
902–907 905 62 185.00–193.75 $189.81 $1,718 +10.31
960–973 971 97 173.50–178.75 $177.13 $1,720 +3.61
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
655–690 673 2 172.50–187.50 $179.80 $1,210 -19.20
727 727 2 170.00 $170.00 $1,236 —
770 770 7 196.50 $196.50 $1,513 +18.50
825 825 2 168.00 $168.00 $1,386 —
993 993 11 163.00 $163.00 $1,619 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
323–341 thin fleshed 331 7 242.50–247.50 $244.71 $810 +9.71
415 thin fleshed 415 1 230.00 $230.00 $954 -9.00
464–479 thin fleshed 469 28 229.00–240.00 $233.97 $1,097 +11.58
535 535 1 202.50 $202.50 $1,083 -15.03
565–585 571 5 182.00–192.50 $189.36 $1,081 -9.19
560–582 thin fleshed 578 20 213.00–223.00 $218.90 $1,265 +0.90
605–611 thin fleshed 607 24 213.00–223.00 $219.23 $1,331 +19.75
607–640 632 8 205.00–209.00 $208.04 $1,315 +12.70
665 thin fleshed 665 1 207.00 $207.00 $1,377 —
747 747 2 187.50 $187.50 $1,401 -0.99
755–799 798 67 177.00–184.50 $179.74 $1,434 -8.79
823–826 824 134 178.50–180.25 $180.03 $1,483 +2.47
863–869 864 25 166.00–174.50 $167.71 $1,449 —
935 thin fleshed 935 98 176.00 $176.00 $1,646 —
982–987 985 26 164.00–164.50 $164.25 $1,618 -1.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575 575 1 177.50 $177.50 $1,021 -5.50
600 600 1 187.50 $187.50 $1,125 +9.84
650–675 663 2 180.00–192.00 $185.89 $1,232 —
736 736 9 175.00 $175.00 $1,288 +15.00
785 785 1 155.00 $155.00 $1,217 -23.50
850–855 853 2 150.00–164.00 $157.02 $1,339 —
910–945 925 3 145.00–157.50 $151.60 $1,402 +11.60
995 995 1 153.00 $153.00 $1,522 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040 1040 1 147.50 $147.50 $1,534 —
1080 1080 1 147.50 $147.50 $1,593 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1820 1354 75-80% 92 93.00–105.00 $101.71 $1,377 —
1230–1855 1438 75-80% 39 106.00–113.00 $108.30 $1,557 +4.15
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080–1725 1222 80-85% 24 86.00–96.00 $91.30 $1,116 +3.32
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1290 1290 85-90% 1 109.00 $109.00 $1,406 —
1115–1760 1294 85-90% 4 75.00–85.00 $79.86 $1,033 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1740 1595 4 111.00–117.00 $114.87 $1,832 —
1395–2095 1649 7 93.00–107.00 $101.13 $1,668 —
1665–2360 2049 11 120.00–129.50 $123.32 $2,527 +8.59

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Stock Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
780–1085 931 (<2 yrs)Open 8 117.50–132.50 $127.03 $1,183

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1275 1275 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 3 1,275.00 $1,275.00
1275 1275 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,550.00 $1,550.00
1294–1500 1350 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 12 1,350.00–1,575.00 $1,444.47
1430 1430 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,475.00 $1,475.00
1575 1575 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,575.00 $1,575.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1000 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 8 2,100.00 $2,100.00 —
1000 1000 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 9 2,000.00 $2,000.00 —
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 10 1,960.00 $1,960.00 —
1400 1400 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 3 2,000.00 $2,000.00 -275.00

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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.