Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Market Report

Dodge City, Kansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 15, 2024

1,795 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $232.00/cwt -3.34 vs last sale · ≈ $2,025/hd at 873 lb · 303 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $233.93/cwt +8.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,804/hd at 771 lb · 186 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $220.87/cwt +5.22 vs last sale · ≈ $2,140/hd at 969 lb · 141 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,795 2,674 1,401
Feeder cattle 1,428 2,299 1,149
Slaughter cattle 337 321 194
Replacement cattle 30 54 58

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, steer and heifers calves were not well tested. Yearling steers sold steady to 3.00 lower while yearling heifers sold steady to 5.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold steady to 4.00 higher while bulls sold steady to 8.00 to 9.00 higher. A short load of 655 lbs fancy heifers sold at 277.00.

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
430–449 440 4 350.00–362.50 $356.11 $1,567 -18.70
522–545 539 8 300.00–308.00 $306.06 $1,650 -36.16
605–624 621 22 286.00–298.50 $296.28 $1,840 +5.28
660–668 665 10 284.00–288.00 $285.40 $1,898 +13.74
742–744 744 53 250.00–264.00 $262.95 $1,956 -8.67
801–842 812 46 238.00–240.00 $238.36 $1,935 -5.50
854–898 873 303 226.00–236.85 $232.00 $2,025 -3.34
908–940 926 138 219.00–228.25 $225.81 $2,091 -2.57
952–990 969 141 218.25–223.00 $220.87 $2,140 +5.22
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1001–1045 1033 16 194.00–212.50 $202.46 $2,091 -8.63
1066 1066 44 191.00 $191.00 $2,036 -6.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
655–680 668 4 253.00–269.00 $260.85 $1,742 —
876 876 17 218.00 $218.00 $1,910 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
523 fancy 523 22 296.00 $296.00 $1,548 —
600–621 604 22 241.00–253.00 $247.94 $1,498 +0.43
655 fancy 655 58 277.00 $277.00 $1,814 —
660–669 667 9 238.00–248.50 $246.19 $1,642 +16.10
705–747 712 69 229.00–235.00 $234.00 $1,666 -0.82
752–778 771 186 225.00–240.00 $233.93 $1,804 +8.39
825–838 826 40 207.50–221.00 $219.97 $1,817 -0.12
855–880 859 21 214.00–217.00 $216.10 $1,856 +7.52
927 927 17 205.00 $205.00 $1,900 -3.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–485 480 4 286.00–290.00 $289.03 $1,387 +8.03
513 513 4 268.00 $268.00 $1,375 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
765–1720 1269 80-85% 112 128.00–144.00 $136.53 $1,733 -11.47
1255–1385 1339 80-85% 5 145.00–149.00 $147.16 $1,970 +11.57
915–1655 1356 80-85% 5 120.00–126.00 $121.86 $1,652 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1247–1665 1342 75-80% 43 140.00–149.00 $141.00 $1,892 —
1398–1970 1583 75-80% 43 135.00–139.00 $136.82 $2,166 -8.18
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
971–1033 991 85-90% 16 95.00–101.00 $98.74 $979 —
860–1332 1179 85-90% 31 104.00–116.00 $110.15 $1,299 —
1040–1411 1268 85-90% 20 121.00–138.00 $129.09 $1,637 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1780 1780 1 143.00 $143.00 $2,545 -6.03
1172–2515 1816 14 149.00–167.50 $157.47 $2,860 —
1110–2125 1838 6 167.00–182.00 $171.19 $3,146 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1117 1117 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 4 1,450.00 $1,450.00
1150 1150 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,925.00 $1,925.00

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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
1275–1400 1299 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 23 2,350.00–2,985.00 $2,802.17 +117.17

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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.