Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, October 27, 2023

1,048 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $259.03/cwt +3.25 vs last sale · ≈ $1,381/hd at 533 lb · 120 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $305.56/cwt +11.62 vs last sale · ≈ $1,598/hd at 523 lb · 89 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $275.20/cwt +21.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,698/hd at 617 lb · 85 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,048 1,669 1,022
Feeder cattle 1,048 1,669 1,022

Good crowd for the first Western Iowa Precondition Sale of the season! Light offering today, with many groups of calves 700 pounds and lighter. No comparison, as the last auction was not Precondition. Good demand on the larger groups of cattle, moderate demand on calves in smaller quantities. Active trade.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
334 334 8 367.50 $367.50 $1,227
380–391 387 8 324.00–331.00 $326.58 $1,264
402–441 434 33 323.00–340.00 $337.14 $1,463
451–498 475 49 301.00–332.00 $319.43 $1,517 +23.49
503–545 523 89 290.00–315.50 $305.56 $1,598 +11.62
553–595 575 49 275.00–299.50 $287.83 $1,655 +22.55
600–636 617 85 259.00–281.50 $275.20 $1,698 +20.00
681–699 693 48 240.00–263.00 $245.53 $1,702 -4.33
723–743 728 13 240.00–241.00 $240.76 $1,753 -10.82
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 376 4 299.00 $299.00 $1,124 -3.50
403–426 413 14 276.00–300.00 $289.39 $1,195
453–483 466 7 271.00–278.00 $274.89 $1,281
504 504 7 281.00 $281.00 $1,416
563–597 582 69 251.00–270.50 $263.63 $1,534
623–649 638 17 238.00–250.00 $247.19 $1,577
742 742 3 215.00 $215.00 $1,595

↑ Back to top

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
314–323 317 8 278.00–292.00 $286.66 $909
366–397 393 63 270.00–294.00 $291.90 $1,147 +21.90
408–449 427 26 263.00–284.00 $277.74 $1,186 +16.23
465–495 476 33 266.00–290.00 $271.19 $1,291 +15.79
517–549 533 120 247.00–270.00 $259.03 $1,381 +3.25
551–594 570 60 241.00–263.00 $246.58 $1,406 +5.93
604–613 607 12 236.50–240.50 $237.85 $1,444 -2.10
661 661 4 231.00 $231.00 $1,527 -15.98
723–748 732 8 220.00–222.00 $220.77 $1,616 -22.60
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
342 342 3 256.00 $256.00 $876
413 413 3 254.00 $254.00 $1,049
498 498 3 250.00 $250.00 $1,245
502–512 509 9 235.00–240.00 $238.36 $1,213 -1.64
562–575 571 9 235.00–238.00 $235.98 $1,347

↑ Back to top

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.