Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 1, 2023

2,640 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $233.28/cwt +10.68 vs last sale · ≈ $1,434/hd at 615 lb · 300 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $258.23/cwt +9.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,619/hd at 627 lb · 217 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $235.57/cwt +3.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,802/hd at 765 lb · 172 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,640 909 2,446
Feeder cattle 2,640 909 2,446

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. No comparison today, as the last sale was not a Precondition sale. Mostly light calves, 750 lbs and under, with several packages of yearling steers and heifers. Full house today. Good demand, both in the arena and online.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 3 286.00 $286.00 $844
406–429 417 31 276.00–298.00 $289.46 $1,207
456–498 479 73 273.00–298.00 $290.94 $1,394 +10.14
501–543 522 82 269.00–296.00 $278.83 $1,455 +1.09
558–596 583 135 253.00–279.00 $267.29 $1,558
601–647 627 217 250.00–266.00 $258.23 $1,619 +3.23
650–695 671 146 242.00–264.75 $256.53 $1,721 +13.03
710–739 722 123 235.00–255.00 $246.44 $1,779 +16.44
753–782 765 172 230.00–251.00 $235.57 $1,802 +3.57
803–845 821 103 211.50–220.00 $217.82 $1,788 -9.93
854 854 4 206.00 $206.00 $1,759
913 913 23 201.50 $201.50 $1,840 -9.00
967 967 28 190.50 $190.50 $1,842 -19.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421 421 12 244.00 $244.00 $1,027
450–471 460 11 240.00–262.00 $253.82 $1,168
508–543 529 54 232.00–260.00 $246.69 $1,305
556 556 8 251.00 $251.00 $1,396
619 619 8 240.00 $240.00 $1,486
655–683 667 7 236.00–239.00 $237.32 $1,583
704–747 732 19 221.00–230.00 $224.96 $1,647
750–797 771 72 215.00–227.00 $224.00 $1,727

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
291 291 5 265.00 $265.00 $771
372–382 376 17 240.00–254.00 $248.15 $933 -1.81
420–444 435 34 246.00–267.00 $256.29 $1,115 +1.09
455–494 474 100 240.00–265.00 $250.89 $1,189
502–543 527 118 239.00–264.00 $250.99 $1,323
557–593 580 116 228.00–250.00 $239.33 $1,388 +4.23
613 613 24 255.50 $255.50 $1,566 +28.24
600–638 615 276 222.00–235.50 $231.35 $1,423 +4.09
659–697 677 89 206.00–226.50 $217.25 $1,471
704–748 720 148 203.00–224.00 $210.92 $1,519 -10.35
821–840 825 31 187.00–197.00 $195.03 $1,609
873 873 25 195.50 $195.50 $1,707
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–372 368 15 228.00–237.00 $233.99 $861
418 418 3 241.00 $241.00 $1,007 +5.00
479–499 484 27 215.00–236.00 $219.91 $1,064
529–544 537 8 237.00–238.00 $237.49 $1,275
648 648 3 216.00 $216.00 $1,400
705–746 738 16 190.00–200.00 $198.21 $1,463
759–766 764 15 193.00–195.00 $194.47 $1,486

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
560 560 3 251.00 $251.00 $1,406

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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.