Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Market Report

Dodge City, Kansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 8, 2024

2,674 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $215.65/cwt +3.43 vs last sale · ≈ $2,100/hd at 974 lb · 303 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $235.34/cwt +11.02 vs last sale · ≈ $2,064/hd at 877 lb · 275 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $208.58/cwt +4.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,815/hd at 870 lb · 217 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,674 2,431 1,454
Feeder cattle 2,299 2,172 1,071
Slaughter cattle 321 238 344
Replacement cattle 54 21 39

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, feeder steers under 700 lbs had an uneven under tone, with instances sharply higher on calves ready to turn out on grass. Over 700 lbs sold 4.00 to 9.00 higher. Heifers under 700 lbs not well tested, over 700 lbs sold steady to 2.00 to 6.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Demand was good on moderate supply.

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
355 355 7 387.50 $387.50 $1,376 —
410–430 415 30 357.50–380.00 $374.81 $1,555 —
452–468 461 36 335.00–352.00 $345.66 $1,593 +35.27
507–545 540 99 338.00–345.00 $342.22 $1,848 -1.10
557–593 581 49 320.25–337.50 $322.49 $1,874 +14.54
635 635 7 291.00 $291.00 $1,848 -1.08
661–676 668 13 269.00–274.00 $271.66 $1,815 -18.96
700–740 724 123 265.25–276.50 $271.62 $1,967 +9.77
800–843 821 163 231.50–246.00 $243.86 $2,002 +7.71
865–898 877 275 222.50–239.75 $235.34 $2,064 +11.02
909–948 920 182 221.50–231.25 $228.38 $2,101 +13.27
955–998 974 303 207.75–222.25 $215.65 $2,100 +3.43
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1007–1028 1018 98 210.00–212.25 $211.09 $2,149 -1.74
1065 1065 2 197.00 $197.00 $2,098 -0.50
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
409 409 11 321.00 $321.00 $1,313 —
497 497 7 280.00 $280.00 $1,392 —
580 580 4 309.00 $309.00 $1,792 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
402–415 411 6 347.50–357.50 $350.76 $1,442 —
508–512 509 7 317.00–317.50 $317.36 $1,615 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 6 315.00 $315.00 $1,216 —
413–437 419 13 299.00–307.50 $303.45 $1,271 —
459 459 6 300.00 $300.00 $1,377 -30.00
501–547 532 9 262.00–275.00 $268.86 $1,430 -33.14
596 596 3 247.50 $247.50 $1,475 -35.01
600–635 627 32 240.00–251.00 $247.51 $1,552 -17.28
666–697 677 17 225.00–233.00 $230.09 $1,558 -17.66
700–746 708 56 223.00–238.00 $234.82 $1,663 -2.19
740 fancy 740 31 247.00 $247.00 $1,828 —
765–781 775 23 224.25–228.00 $225.54 $1,748 +2.03
806 fancy 806 95 239.75 $239.75 $1,932 —
811–843 826 90 217.50–224.25 $220.09 $1,818 +3.48
856–884 870 217 204.50–220.00 $208.58 $1,815 +4.66
906 906 13 208.50 $208.50 $1,889 +5.69
955–967 966 18 197.00–198.50 $198.42 $1,917 -0.08
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
473 473 5 281.00 $281.00 $1,329 -1.40
626 626 4 230.00 $230.00 $1,440 —
743 743 10 220.00 $220.00 $1,635 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1003 1003 3 188.00 $188.00 $1,886 —
1071 1071 4 162.00 $162.00 $1,735 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1690 1248 80-85% 12 123.00–127.00 $125.33 $1,564 -12.84
1286 1286 80-85% 3 148.00 $148.00 $1,903 —
970–1930 1325 80-85% 126 128.00–143.00 $135.59 $1,797 +4.54
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1700 1501 75-80% 72 131.00–142.50 $136.99 $2,056 —
1576 1576 75-80% 3 145.00 $145.00 $2,285 +13.48
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830–1160 1015 85-90% 7 120.00–130.00 $125.44 $1,273 —
845–1440 1130 85-90% 37 95.00–119.00 $108.96 $1,231 -13.39
1281–1460 1307 85-90% 7 87.50–107.00 $90.61 $1,184 —
1380 1380 85-90% 1 138.00 $138.00 $1,904 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275 1275 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,658 +27.00
1375–2332 1798 10 140.00–158.00 $149.03 $2,680 —
1860–2130 1995 2 162.00 $162.00 $3,232 —

↑ Back to top

Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1055 1055 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,875.00 $1,875.00
1075 1075 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,975.00 $1,975.00
1234 1234 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 11 1,700.00 $1,700.00
1312 1312 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 9 1,700.00 $1,700.00

↑ Back to top

Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 3 2,525.00–2,700.00 $2,641.67 —
1000–1300 1270 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 15 2,425.00–2,750.00 $2,685.00 —
1350 1350 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)Open 8 2,560.00 $2,560.00 —

↑ Back to top

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.