Cattle Market Pulse

Denison Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Denison, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 7, 2023

2,301 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $225.51/cwt -3.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,518/hd at 673 lb · 231 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $223.33/cwt +2.04 vs last sale · ≈ $1,838/hd at 823 lb · 225 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $233.43/cwt -28.69 vs last sale · ≈ $1,592/hd at 682 lb · 165 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,301 2,009 2,096
Feeder cattle 2,301 2,009 2,096

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Preconditioned Sale. With the CME cattle futures declining this week, lower cattle prices are expected. Compared to last Thursday, light steers 550-750 lbs are sharply lower. Steers, 800 lbs, were 4.00 higher today. Light heifers, 550-650 lbs were mostly 4.00-7.00 lower with instances of sharply lower. Heifers, 750 lbs were sharply higher. Several load lots of both yearlings and lighter calves. Many smaller packages mostly of calves offered today. Good demand, especially on larger packages.

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
356–365 361 6 269.00–281.00 $275.07 $993 -40.26
401 401 3 269.00 $269.00 $1,079 -33.28
455–479 470 21 252.00–260.00 $254.95 $1,198 -23.78
502–549 531 41 245.00–271.00 $253.82 $1,348 -31.45
552–596 573 116 240.00–266.50 $251.03 $1,438 -17.31
603–642 627 80 241.00–250.00 $245.45 $1,539 -19.66
650–698 682 165 226.50–251.25 $233.43 $1,592 -28.69
702–722 707 161 225.00–240.00 $229.72 $1,624 -10.55
753–785 780 104 215.00–235.00 $220.83 $1,722 -16.56
800–831 823 225 207.50–226.25 $223.33 $1,838 +2.04
868–891 887 21 199.00–206.00 $200.31 $1,777 -21.45
918–927 924 100 199.00–200.50 $199.98 $1,848 —
966 966 13 195.50 $195.50 $1,889 -11.31
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
433–441 438 10 255.00–258.00 $256.81 $1,125 —
482 482 4 240.00 $240.00 $1,157 -18.41
504–543 520 11 230.00–242.00 $234.72 $1,221 -24.74
620–644 631 29 215.00–230.50 $225.61 $1,424 -13.21
666 666 3 220.00 $220.00 $1,465 -19.53
703–745 729 26 216.00–221.00 $217.46 $1,585 +13.96
925 925 21 189.00 $189.00 $1,748 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1013 1013 7 185.00 $185.00 $1,874 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376–398 387 6 245.00–265.00 $254.72 $986 -33.88
427–447 438 26 240.00–256.00 $248.91 $1,090 -24.68
465–498 486 8 240.00–262.50 $248.08 $1,206 -16.86
505–543 530 51 243.00–265.00 $257.79 $1,366 +1.94
555–598 580 101 225.00–255.00 $236.87 $1,374 -8.22
601–632 616 89 220.00–238.00 $227.64 $1,402 -17.70
650–686 673 231 213.50–232.25 $225.51 $1,518 -3.97
707–748 734 95 205.00–221.00 $215.98 $1,585 -14.02
758–794 788 88 205.00–221.75 $219.48 $1,730 +16.63
814 814 42 230.50 $230.50 $1,876 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
407–445 425 12 230.00–234.00 $231.89 $986 —
456–467 459 18 234.00–235.00 $234.56 $1,077 —
500–532 516 32 225.00–232.50 $229.85 $1,186 +3.85
554–590 568 36 212.50–229.00 $221.14 $1,256 —
601–624 616 9 186.00–210.00 $193.80 $1,194 -36.20
731 731 3 189.00 $189.00 $1,382 —
871 871 8 192.00 $192.00 $1,672 —

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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.