Cattle Market Pulse

Creston Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Creston, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 2, 2024

1,820 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $258.82/cwt +14.37 vs last sale · ≈ $2,146/hd at 829 lb · 259 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $240.71/cwt +9.01 vs last sale · ≈ $2,227/hd at 925 lb · 190 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $263.09/cwt +12.08 vs last sale · ≈ $1,992/hd at 757 lb · 151 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,820 2,856 2,297
Feeder cattle 1,820 2,856 2,297

No comparison stated today as the previous feeder cattle auction was in August. Available today were many load lots of quality yearling steers and heifers coming off grass. Also today were many smaller packages of reputation new crop calves, double vaccinated and many off the cow. Demand was very good for today's moderate offering. Trade very active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
321 321 3 346.00 $346.00 $1,111
406–441 425 20 325.00–328.00 $325.88 $1,385
453–473 462 44 299.00–339.00 $319.00 $1,474 +27.00
485 fancy 485 20 309.75 $309.75 $1,502
501–547 527 80 281.00–316.50 $299.10 $1,576 +14.10
553–592 572 71 271.00–294.00 $281.32 $1,609 -2.08
611–647 620 114 262.00–279.00 $270.61 $1,678 -8.90
650–679 661 39 247.00–270.00 $261.61 $1,729 -11.12
720–741 731 136 267.75–269.50 $268.57 $1,963 +8.55
750–766 757 151 252.00–267.75 $263.09 $1,992 +12.08
818–836 829 259 247.75–263.00 $258.82 $2,146 +14.37
868–886 876 139 238.75–245.75 $242.49 $2,124 +8.08
914–933 925 190 234.00–247.50 $240.71 $2,227 +9.01
975 975 7 213.50 $213.50 $2,082
1046 1046 8 203.50 $203.50 $2,129
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–432 424 11 290.00–294.00 $292.59 $1,241
468–496 488 17 279.00–287.00 $284.74 $1,390
533–538 536 10 279.00 $279.00 $1,495
567 567 8 250.00 $250.00 $1,418
845 845 6 232.00 $232.00 $1,960 -3.25
928 928 4 223.00 $223.00 $2,069 +9.00

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
388 388 3 277.50 $277.50 $1,077
415–431 426 17 278.00–298.00 $283.11 $1,206
464–494 477 19 280.00–285.00 $282.82 $1,349 +5.01
523 fancy 523 25 285.00 $285.00 $1,491
506–548 532 21 258.00–279.00 $265.61 $1,413 -7.51
562–569 565 16 253.00–275.00 $261.31 $1,476 +1.91
626–638 628 29 247.00–258.00 $249.37 $1,566 -3.67
701 701 13 231.00–232.00 $231.31 $1,621
757 757 4 229.50 $229.50 $1,737 +0.08
810–838 816 99 224.00–229.10 $228.67 $1,866 +3.67
865–893 884 18 209.00–210.00 $209.33 $1,850 -12.85
912 912 68 219.50 $219.50 $2,002 +4.51
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–447 439 13 263.00–264.00 $263.37 $1,156

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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.