Cattle Market Pulse

Creston Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Creston, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 3, 2024

2,373 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $240.69/cwt +26.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,510/hd at 627 lb · 238 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $247.31/cwt +14.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,773/hd at 717 lb · 237 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $233.87/cwt +6.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,814/hd at 776 lb · 237 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,373 1,949 2,838
Feeder cattle 2,373 1,949 2,838

SPECIAL "ALL VACC CALF & YEARLING AUCTION" No recent price comparison as the previous sale was held on 12-13-23. Quality ran very deep in today's offering of LTW, reputation feeder calves. Demand was very good. Trade was active for today's moderate offering.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364 364 7 278.00 $278.00 $1,012 +6.95
450 unweaned 450 3 303.00 $303.00 $1,364
450–460 455 10 250.00–266.00 $258.09 $1,174 -37.66
511–542 524 80 255.50–298.00 $288.26 $1,510 -0.04
552–578 565 92 269.00–291.00 $283.32 $1,601 +8.59
605–633 unweaned 611 13 258.00–270.50 $267.51 $1,634 +23.01
600–645 630 186 237.75–277.50 $263.53 $1,660 +5.91
663 fancy 663 49 257.75 $257.75 $1,709
655–680 666 144 242.00–270.00 $254.98 $1,698 +16.00
700–730 717 237 222.00–254.00 $247.31 $1,773 +12.62
762 unweaned 762 4 200.00 $200.00 $1,524
751–797 776 233 220.00–238.00 $234.45 $1,819 +7.05
800–844 809 85 216.00–234.75 $227.64 $1,842 +6.38
867 867 31 226.75 $226.75 $1,966 +6.00
915–916 915 22 200.00–210.00 $208.64 $1,909
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 3 240.00 $240.00 $1,200 -10.00
593 593 8 257.00 $257.00 $1,524

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–390 383 18 246.00–254.00 $248.26 $951 +24.25
412 unweaned 412 4 232.00 $232.00 $956 -14.00
418 418 11 240.00 $240.00 $1,003 +4.71
463–494 484 41 252.00–259.50 $257.35 $1,246 +8.93
512–545 533 61 245.00–260.00 $251.19 $1,339 +10.57
537 unweaned 537 12 253.00 $253.00 $1,359 +12.80
553–592 576 74 231.00–245.00 $241.26 $1,390 +7.11
602–645 625 186 222.00–243.00 $239.49 $1,497 +21.18
636 fancy 636 52 245.00 $245.00 $1,558
655–694 673 132 218.00–235.50 $226.77 $1,526 +7.30
692 692 70 226.50 $226.50 $1,567 +7.03
700–745 719 104 216.00–221.75 $218.05 $1,568 +20.55
728 fancy 728 16 221.00 $221.00 $1,609
750–770 757 15 202.50 $202.50 $1,533
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
483 483 3 226.00 $226.00 $1,092 +16.00
631 631 8 213.00 $213.00 $1,344
700 700 7 188.00 $188.00 $1,316

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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.