Cattle Market Pulse

Denison Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Denison, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 14, 2023

2,123 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $227.82/cwt +6.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,763/hd at 774 lb · 208 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $220.74/cwt +20.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,929/hd at 874 lb · 200 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $233.70/cwt +3.98 vs last sale · ≈ $1,704/hd at 729 lb · 179 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,123 2,301 2,774
Feeder cattle 2,123 2,301 2,774

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Preconditioned Sale. Compared to last Thursday, light steers 600-750 lbs were 4.00-7.00 higher with instances much higher. Heavier steer calves, 800 lbs, were 2.00 lower today, with less offered and last week's 800 lb steers were yearlings. Light heifers, 550-650 lbs, were mostly 1.00 higher with instances up to 8.00 higher. Heifers 700 lbs were 2.00 lower, 750 lb heifers had instances of sharply lower. Good demand throughout the 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
468–483 476 8 281.00–287.00 $284.05 $1,352 +29.10
503–549 535 70 262.00–282.50 $275.83 $1,476 +22.01
580–593 584 39 261.00–271.00 $269.21 $1,572 +18.18
610–646 628 131 238.00–256.50 $251.89 $1,582 +6.44
655–689 671 110 237.00–263.50 $247.47 $1,661 +14.04
713–741 729 179 225.00–245.00 $233.70 $1,704 +3.98
752–792 774 208 215.00–232.50 $227.82 $1,763 +6.99
804–849 832 99 216.00–227.25 $221.52 $1,843 -1.81
856–893 874 200 213.25–227.25 $220.74 $1,929 +20.43
983 983 10 190.00 $190.00 $1,868 -5.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
652–696 685 21 215.00–233.50 $229.14 $1,570 +9.14
703–728 716 6 200.00–221.00 $210.68 $1,508 -6.78
760 760 5 206.00 $206.00 $1,566 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352 352 4 270.00 $270.00 $950 +15.28
400–416 408 11 239.00–251.00 $244.67 $998 -4.24
468–485 477 10 236.00–248.00 $240.57 $1,148 -7.51
500–543 525 51 237.00–248.00 $242.51 $1,273 -15.28
555–591 578 60 226.00–244.00 $238.01 $1,376 +1.14
602–649 633 133 231.00–242.00 $235.60 $1,491 +7.96
650–687 676 135 215.00–235.50 $226.28 $1,530 +0.77
700–748 719 94 205.00–223.00 $213.79 $1,537 -2.19
754–789 780 120 204.00–212.50 $207.28 $1,617 -12.20
803–822 816 10 195.00–200.00 $198.52 $1,620 -31.98
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
515–548 527 8 221.00–232.00 $227.71 $1,200 -2.14
596 596 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,192 -21.14
601 601 5 204.00 $204.00 $1,226 +10.20
673–691 683 7 200.00–213.00 $205.49 $1,403 —
700–738 711 10 195.00–202.00 $199.82 $1,421 +10.82
773 773 6 195.00 $195.00 $1,507 —

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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.