Cattle Market Pulse

Creston Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Creston, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, November 20, 2024

2,271 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $272.54/cwt +21.12 vs last sale · ≈ $1,970/hd at 723 lb · 290 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $294.03/cwt +3.45 vs last sale · ≈ $1,849/hd at 629 lb · 268 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $265.36/cwt +17.36 vs last sale · ≈ $2,035/hd at 767 lb · 116 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,271 1,943 2,319
Feeder cattle 2,271 1,943 2,319

Special "All Vacc Calf & Yearling" Auction - Compared to the auction 2 weeks ago, 500 - 600 lb new crop steer calves were 6.00 - 15.00 higher. Eight weight yearling steers were 3.00 to 7.00 higher. Today's heifer trade saw 500 - 600 lb new crop calves 8.00 to 12.00 higher with 800 lb yearling heifers fully steady to 4.00 higher. Quality ran very deep in today's moderate offering of home raised feeder calves with many "off the cow" yesterday. Demand was very good. Trade was active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
416 416 3 346.00 $346.00 $1,439 -6.79
450–487 465 24 334.00–362.00 $348.72 $1,622 +25.23
539–542 540 26 306.00–319.00 $314.48 $1,698 -4.34
563–585 578 114 291.00–313.00 $307.14 $1,775 +6.58
603–649 629 268 281.00–306.25 $294.03 $1,849 +3.45
651–690 662 110 270.50–290.00 $281.48 $1,863 +20.01
704–740 723 290 255.50–280.50 $272.54 $1,970 +21.12
756–799 767 116 249.75–272.75 $265.36 $2,035 +17.36
832–834 834 81 249.50–260.25 $257.87 $2,151 +3.05
883 883 68 257.25 $257.25 $2,272 +6.75
924 924 58 248.60 $248.60 $2,297 -1.67
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
578–586 581 7 276.00–286.50 $281.96 $1,638 +13.96
622–640 632 29 260.00–271.50 $267.14 $1,688 +12.35
672–680 676 18 257.00–260.00 $258.34 $1,746
715–748 723 18 210.00–251.50 $240.51 $1,739

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
446 446 6 305.00 $305.00 $1,360 +15.38
497 497 18 278.00–279.00 $278.72 $1,385 -3.40
528–533 530 23 273.50–298.00 $286.22 $1,517 +10.35
535 535 18 295.00 $295.00 $1,578 +19.13
555–568 561 38 276.00–287.00 $280.35 $1,573 +11.45
608–648 632 103 248.00–260.00 $256.04 $1,618 -7.03
657 657 26 279.00 $279.00 $1,833 +24.84
670–685 678 28 236.00–258.00 $247.80 $1,680 -6.36
827 827 16 229.75 $229.75 $1,900 +3.84
860 860 70 230.10 $230.10 $1,979 +1.35
901 901 17 222.75 $222.75 $2,007
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
508–549 535 9 264.00–266.00 $264.63 $1,416 -0.37
561–572 566 11 256.00–260.00 $257.84 $1,459 +3.65
685 685 3 228.00 $228.00 $1,562

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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.