Cattle Market Pulse

Winter Livestock Market Report

Pratt, Kansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 4, 2024

2,246 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $226.69/cwt +4.59 vs last sale · ≈ $1,888/hd at 833 lb · 454 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $223.20/cwt +12.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,964/hd at 880 lb · 379 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $220.83/cwt +12.61 vs last sale · ≈ $2,014/hd at 912 lb · 186 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,246 2,554 3,952
Feeder cattle 1,846 2,174 3,476
Slaughter cattle 370 348 426
Replacement cattle 30 32 50

Market comments — USDA reporter

***Final*** Compared to two weeks ago, feeder heifers sold unevenly steady. Eight-weight and nine-weight feeder steers sold 5.00 to 10.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls sold steady. Buyer attendance and demand was good.

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
423 423 5 335.00 $335.00 $1,417 -2.86
480–493 487 10 296.00–320.00 $308.16 $1,501 +8.16
512 512 5 304.00 $304.00 $1,556 -9.74
608–647 627 41 245.00–260.00 $252.86 $1,585 -23.22
672–699 690 15 238.00–242.00 $239.62 $1,653 -7.28
714–740 736 96 229.75–236.50 $231.07 $1,701 -7.54
773 773 10 228.00 $228.00 $1,762 -4.88
816–847 833 454 212.50–235.00 $226.69 $1,888 +4.59
853–899 880 379 211.00–227.75 $223.20 $1,964 +12.20
900–940 912 186 209.00–226.00 $220.83 $2,014 +12.61
966–994 993 60 200.00–204.00 $200.19 $1,988 -11.06
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 3 252.50 $252.50 $1,237 —
550 550 9 258.00 $258.00 $1,419 -8.47
715 715 27 202.00 $202.00 $1,444 —
751–776 763 13 205.00–207.00 $206.06 $1,572 —
833 833 52 207.00 $207.00 $1,724 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456 456 8 236.00 $236.00 $1,076 -27.73
504–536 521 24 240.00–259.00 $247.29 $1,288 -10.31
553–577 566 23 233.50–249.00 $241.26 $1,366 -6.55
688–692 690 18 185.00–192.00 $189.34 $1,306 -20.25
706–737 731 50 196.00–211.00 $200.15 $1,463 -8.64
751–791 781 139 200.00–218.00 $208.03 $1,625 +1.53
825 825 8 205.00 $205.00 $1,691 +9.83
863–874 869 33 194.00–198.00 $196.19 $1,705 -2.81
977 977 7 166.00 $166.00 $1,622 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
585 585 8 220.00 $220.00 $1,287 -5.50
851 851 3 181.00 $181.00 $1,540 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1041 1041 8 170.50 $170.50 $1,775 -18.50

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–1605 1226 80-85% 189 85.00–101.00 $92.29 $1,131 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1220–1660 1454 75-80% 76 89.00–99.00 $96.19 $1,399 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
925–1365 1075 85-90% 44 79.00–91.00 $85.81 $922 -1.02
890–1260 1089 85-90% 4 71.00–77.00 $73.80 $804 -13.03

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200–2110 1639 22 88.00–110.50 $100.12 $1,641 —
1850–2185 2018 2 109.00–113.00 $110.83 $2,237 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
1205 1205 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 1,500.00 $1,500.00
1275 1275 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 1 1,550.00 $1,550.00
1291 1291 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,475.00 $1,475.00
1382 1382 Aged (>8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 1,400.00 $1,400.00
1392 1392 Middle Aged/Aged (>5 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 2 1,475.00 $1,475.00
1370–1560 1394 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 8 1,725.00–1,750.00 $1,728.50

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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.