Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Market Report

Dodge City, Kansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 1, 2024

2,431 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $216.61/cwt +0.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,781/hd at 822 lb · 339 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $202.81/cwt -4.22 vs last sale · ≈ $1,872/hd at 923 lb · 226 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $212.22/cwt -3.31 vs last sale · ≈ $2,073/hd at 977 lb · 178 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,431 2,388 2,202
Feeder cattle 2,172 2,098 1,912
Slaughter cattle 238 255 256
Replacement cattle 21 35 34

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder steers under 700 lbs sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher, over 700 lbs were 3.00 to 5.00 lower. Heifers under 700 lbs sold 3.00 higher, over 700 lbs steady to 3.00 lower. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 1.00 to 3.00 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
335–349 343 5 380.00–390.00 $386.10 $1,324 +42.10
452–470 467 12 307.00–328.00 $310.39 $1,450 —
508–530 517 24 336.00–347.50 $343.32 $1,775 +10.82
553–571 562 34 297.00–319.00 $307.95 $1,731 +1.29
620–647 638 3 286.00–295.00 $292.08 $1,863 +2.48
656–666 658 16 289.00–291.00 $290.62 $1,912 +1.51
717–738 732 46 255.00–278.00 $261.85 $1,917 -22.65
758–790 763 100 234.50–254.50 $252.82 $1,929 -4.51
805–847 818 76 229.50–240.00 $236.15 $1,932 -3.22
868–891 879 145 218.00–227.75 $224.32 $1,972 -4.83
944–947 944 37 210.50–216.00 $215.11 $2,031 -4.35
952–990 977 178 210.50–213.00 $212.22 $2,073 -3.31
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1018–1034 1025 196 206.00–213.75 $212.83 $2,182 -3.17
1088 1088 6 197.50 $197.50 $2,149 —
1117 1117 7 191.00 $191.00 $2,133 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
468 468 4 306.00 $306.00 $1,432 —
545 545 7 287.00 $287.00 $1,564 —
698 698 7 256.50 $256.50 $1,790 —
712 712 18 262.50 $262.50 $1,869 —
877 877 9 220.00 $220.00 $1,929 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 16 330.00 $330.00 $1,617 —
512 512 3 302.00 $302.00 $1,546 —
561–580 575 15 279.00–292.50 $282.51 $1,624 -11.49
613–649 639 19 256.00–269.00 $264.79 $1,692 +3.07
652–665 659 30 235.50–258.00 $247.75 $1,633 +10.95
716–744 721 30 232.25–238.00 $237.01 $1,709 -6.49
750–789 781 106 216.00–227.00 $223.51 $1,746 -2.46
813–831 822 339 211.00–225.75 $216.61 $1,781 +0.10
850–895 876 118 200.00–204.10 $203.92 $1,786 -6.08
905–941 923 226 199.00–207.00 $202.81 $1,872 -4.22
953 953 49 198.50 $198.50 $1,892 +18.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365 365 2 315.00 $315.00 $1,150 —
480–488 484 9 278.00–288.00 $282.40 $1,367 +4.40
532–533 533 6 267.50–281.00 $274.26 $1,462 —
754–777 764 19 210.50–218.50 $213.93 $1,634 -0.05
806 806 18 206.00 $206.00 $1,660 -0.27

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
971–1229 1064 85-90% 23 101.00–118.00 $112.90 $1,201 —
1045–1540 1148 85-90% 41 119.00–126.00 $122.35 $1,405 —
995–1307 1168 85-90% 23 89.00–96.00 $93.17 $1,088 -26.56
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1070–1298 1218 80-85% 8 124.00–125.00 $124.78 $1,520 +5.92
1075–1605 1241 80-85% 9 135.00–140.00 $138.17 $1,715 +19.31
1100–1490 1348 80-85% 37 126.00–135.00 $131.05 $1,767 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1641 1562 75-80% 14 130.00–136.50 $131.52 $2,054 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295 1295 3 103.00 $103.00 $1,334 —
1527–1930 1608 5 160.00–163.00 $160.72 $2,584 —
1252–2005 1624 19 133.00–155.00 $147.06 $2,388 —

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Bred Cows

Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1280 1280 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 2 2,225.00 $2,225.00
1570 1570 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 2,100.00 $2,100.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
915 915 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
911 911 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 4 2,325.00 $2,325.00 —
1027–1103 1088 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 10 1,625.00–2,425.00 $2,197.50 —

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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.