Cattle Market Pulse

Creston Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Creston, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 2, 2020

2,109 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Creston Livestock Feeder Cattle report →

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $146.67/cwt +2.03 vs last sale · ≈ $990/hd at 675 lb · 298 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.45/cwt +9.64 vs last sale · ≈ $816/hd at 573 lb · 213 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $143.74/cwt +3.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,041/hd at 724 lb · 204 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,109 1,689 2,510
Feeder cattle 2,109 1,689 2,510

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to two weeks ago steers under 650 lbs. were steady to mostly 3.00 higher, while the 650-800 lb. steers sold 3.00-6.00 higher. The 800-850 lb. steers were 6.00 lower. Heifers 450-600 lbs. were 10.00-12.00 higher and the heavier heifers were 2.00-6.00 higher. Demand was moderate to good for the moderate offerings. Trading was active. This was their Nichols genetics sale.

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
338 unweaned 338 5 197.50 $197.50 $668 —
416 unweaned 416 21 185.50 $185.50 $772 +17.50
410–423 418 11 182.50–187.50 $185.03 $773 +18.09
460–488 480 11 168.00–175.00 $171.50 $823 +7.96
477–495 unweaned 481 25 170.00–175.00 $173.77 $836 —
504 unweaned 504 10 174.50 $174.50 $879 —
530–545 535 12 167.00–168.00 $167.34 $895 -0.19
574 unweaned 574 27 155.75 $155.75 $894 —
560–598 583 74 151.75–165.50 $157.67 $919 +3.28
617 unweaned 617 27 153.25 $153.25 $946 —
600–639 624 113 144.00–154.75 $150.43 $939 -0.87
659–697 unweaned 674 77 131.50–141.00 $138.57 $934 —
651–698 675 221 142.50–157.00 $149.49 $1,009 +4.85
700–744 724 204 137.00–148.60 $143.74 $1,041 +3.20
756–788 772 120 138.50–143.50 $141.39 $1,092 +5.91
799 unweaned 799 54 129.75 $129.75 $1,037 —
806–820 810 59 136.25–137.75 $137.21 $1,111 -6.05
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
483 unweaned 483 3 157.00 $157.00 $758 —
583 unweaned 583 4 141.00 $141.00 $822 —
616–625 622 27 143.00–143.50 $143.15 $890 —
623–633 unweaned 628 17 135.00–141.75 $138.60 $870 —
652 652 5 140.50 $140.50 $916 —
733 unweaned 733 11 131.00 $131.00 $960 —
753–797 764 12 126.00–127.00 $126.74 $968 —
817 817 6 133.00 $133.00 $1,087 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
288 unweaned 288 4 171.00 $171.00 $492 —
323 unweaned 323 4 167.00 $167.00 $539 —
398 unweaned 398 18 161.50 $161.50 $643 —
446 unweaned 446 10 154.00 $154.00 $687 —
450–491 478 27 151.00–161.00 $156.12 $746 +13.48
462–485 unweaned 480 38 152.00–159.00 $155.13 $745 —
502–545 519 41 142.00–152.00 $149.39 $775 +11.39
539–546 unweaned 544 25 144.00–147.00 $146.17 $795 —
559–588 unweaned 572 74 135.00–149.50 $140.76 $805 +7.26
556–590 573 139 136.00–149.00 $143.35 $821 +10.59
608–649 620 121 133.50–138.50 $136.51 $846 +1.98
652–690 675 130 130.00–136.75 $133.99 $904 +5.66
655–690 unweaned 681 54 126.75–131.00 $127.64 $869 —
720 720 5 129.50 $129.50 $932 +4.53
779–793 787 27 126.00–128.00 $126.74 $997 +1.35
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
482 482 5 145.00 $145.00 $699 —
550–587 562 27 131.00–135.00 $132.33 $744 —
600–616 610 8 127.00–130.00 $128.11 $781 —
673 673 6 133.00 $133.00 $895 —

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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.