Cattle Market Pulse

Denison Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Denison, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 5, 2024

2,101 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $290.84/cwt +39.21 vs last sale · ≈ $1,826/hd at 628 lb · 262 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $299.18/cwt +36.70 vs last sale · ≈ $2,154/hd at 720 lb · 181 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $303.38/cwt +18.54 vs last sale · ≈ $1,896/hd at 625 lb · 173 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,101 1,303 2,301
Feeder cattle 2,101 1,303 2,301

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Preconditioned Sale. No comparison, as the last sale was not Preconditioned. Many load lots of mostly yearlings, along with plenty of smaller strings in the offering. Big crowd in the stands today. Good demand.

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
377–381 379 7 395.00–401.00 $397.59 $1,507 +72.14
406–446 417 12 355.00–387.50 $376.36 $1,569 +56.26
450–497 489 20 330.00–362.50 $339.76 $1,661 +18.88
508–545 526 60 315.00–345.00 $332.01 $1,746 +26.78
580–595 591 45 314.50–322.00 $316.63 $1,871 +6.93
601–636 625 173 299.00–310.00 $303.38 $1,896 +18.54
657–680 667 63 289.00–298.50 $295.58 $1,972 +29.98
700–749 720 181 283.75–311.00 $299.18 $2,154 +35.45
750–758 756 58 280.00–290.00 $287.09 $2,170 +37.80
804–823 807 24 262.00–285.00 $265.91 $2,146 +6.36
854–858 856 139 260.25–268.25 $264.79 $2,267 —
905 905 42 248.50 $248.50 $2,249 —
987–991 988 31 235.00–239.00 $237.96 $2,351 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
481–499 489 11 326.00–327.00 $326.54 $1,597 —
528–532 531 9 296.00–305.00 $298.98 $1,588 —
719–735 725 54 259.50–277.00 $272.25 $1,974 —
792–796 795 39 257.00–262.00 $261.11 $2,076 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1006 1006 66 239.00 $239.00 $2,404 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 5 340.00 $340.00 $1,207 +32.42
443–449 445 14 320.00–340.00 $327.20 $1,456 +13.20
455–495 484 30 290.00–320.00 $300.36 $1,454 +1.51
501–548 531 59 281.00–302.50 $296.37 $1,574 +10.81
555–590 572 122 276.50–305.50 $292.14 $1,671 +32.28
603–643 628 262 275.00–305.00 $290.84 $1,826 +39.21
657–679 669 62 254.00–266.25 $264.67 $1,771 +22.35
711–747 727 157 248.00–263.00 $257.20 $1,870 +21.50
793 793 53 250.50 $250.50 $1,986 —
820–833 832 39 235.00–241.00 $240.55 $2,001 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
346 346 4 320.00 $320.00 $1,107 —
388 388 4 304.00 $304.00 $1,180 —
431–440 434 8 298.00–300.00 $299.24 $1,299 —
480 480 3 281.00 $281.00 $1,349 -4.00
632–640 635 20 268.50–272.00 $269.91 $1,714 —
718 718 8 244.50 $244.50 $1,756 —

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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.