Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 8, 2023

1,839 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $201.49/cwt -9.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,491/hd at 740 lb · 472 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $189.62/cwt -5.88 vs last sale · ≈ $1,669/hd at 880 lb · 145 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $252.28/cwt -5.95 vs last sale · ≈ $1,567/hd at 621 lb · 101 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,839 2,640 2,382
Feeder cattle 1,839 2,640 2,382

Market comments — USDA reporter

Special Calf & Yearling Sale. No comparison today, as the last sale was a Precondition sale. Lighter offering today, included many loads 725-880 lb heifers, and many smaller packages of mostly calves. Demand was moderate to good today.

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
461–470 464 13 297.00–307.00 $303.11 $1,406 +12.17
508–543 525 56 261.00–285.00 $265.85 $1,396 -12.98
593 unweaned 593 18 255.50 $255.50 $1,515 —
603–648 621 101 240.00–264.50 $252.28 $1,567 -5.95
658–686 661 42 244.50–249.00 $245.21 $1,621 -11.32
718–731 727 55 209.00–223.00 $219.78 $1,598 -26.66
775–784 782 32 204.00–223.00 $207.53 $1,623 -28.04
801–815 813 42 208.00–224.50 $221.79 $1,803 +3.97
856–887 869 14 200.00–207.00 $203.94 $1,772 -2.06
904 904 35 188.25 $188.25 $1,702 -13.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
365–385 376 9 275.00–280.00 $277.16 $1,042 —
428 unweaned 428 3 261.00 $261.00 $1,117 —
483–499 495 11 253.00–255.00 $254.47 $1,260 +0.65
500 500 10 238.00–252.00 $246.40 $1,232 -0.29
622 622 3 234.00 $234.00 $1,455 -6.00
673 673 4 224.00 $224.00 $1,508 -13.32
743 743 3 200.00 $200.00 $1,486 -24.96
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
264 264 6 925.00 $925.00 —
311 311 6 975.00 $975.00 —
352 352 3 960.00 $960.00 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1053 1053 5 170.00 $170.00 $1,790 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
357–394 unweaned 378 7 253.00–262.00 $258.36 $977 —
454 454 7 246.00 $246.00 $1,117 -4.89
507–544 528 100 224.50–243.00 $236.06 $1,246 -14.93
554–587 564 56 218.00–236.50 $228.46 $1,289 -10.87
612 612 17 233.00 $233.00 $1,426 -22.50
612–646 627 35 203.75–216.00 $207.53 $1,301 -23.82
663–698 689 61 200.00–201.50 $200.44 $1,381 -16.81
706–741 740 472 185.00–203.50 $201.49 $1,491 -9.43
793–794 794 66 189.50–190.75 $190.49 $1,512 —
809–811 810 23 182.25–192.50 $185.36 $1,501 -9.67
857–881 880 145 186.00–189.85 $189.62 $1,669 -5.88
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
364 364 7 250.00 $250.00 $910 +16.01
392 unweaned 392 5 233.00 $233.00 $913 —
488–499 unweaned 494 7 212.00–238.00 $227.00 $1,121 —
544–545 544 9 206.00–213.50 $210.16 $1,143 -27.33
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
292 292 3 825.00 $825.00 —
302 302 3 900.00 $900.00 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1052 1052 3 160.00 $160.00 $1,683 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
466–477 unweaned 472 13 225.00–242.00 $237.31 $1,120 —
511 511 5 219.00 $219.00 $1,119 —
633 unweaned 633 7 230.00 $230.00 $1,456 —
654–667 unweaned 658 15 215.00–217.00 $216.32 $1,423 —
658 658 3 222.00 $222.00 $1,461 —

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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.