Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 15, 2023

2,300 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $229.22/cwt +28.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,543/hd at 673 lb · 211 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $234.92/cwt +15.14 vs last sale · ≈ $1,682/hd at 716 lb · 209 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $241.51/cwt +13.05 vs last sale · ≈ $1,372/hd at 568 lb · 179 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,300 1,839 1,998
Feeder cattle 2,300 1,839 1,998

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. No comparison, as the last sale was not Precondition. Many load lots of calves offered today, along with plenty of smaller packages, mostly of calves. Demand was good 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
327 327 3 292.00 $292.00 $955 —
378–388 385 10 282.00–285.00 $284.12 $1,094 —
400–447 421 11 281.00–285.00 $283.84 $1,195 —
461–495 480 42 270.00–296.00 $284.27 $1,364 -18.84
500–535 519 60 270.00–293.00 $284.98 $1,479 +19.13
550–598 576 140 254.50–280.00 $269.97 $1,555 —
602–649 628 154 252.00–276.00 $259.93 $1,632 +7.65
651–699 670 151 238.50–260.00 $252.95 $1,695 +7.74
704–746 716 209 221.00–240.50 $234.92 $1,682 +15.14
755–797 772 172 215.00–235.00 $223.85 $1,728 +16.32
828–839 834 45 213.00–215.00 $214.20 $1,786 -7.59
850–892 865 56 193.00–211.50 $208.75 $1,806 +4.81
901–927 917 13 190.00–195.50 $193.42 $1,774 +5.17
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
458–498 484 12 239.00–265.00 $255.81 $1,238 +1.34
515–528 522 6 251.00–259.00 $255.05 $1,331 +8.65
562–580 572 7 250.00–251.00 $250.58 $1,433 —
637–648 644 8 245.00–249.00 $246.48 $1,587 +12.48
668 668 3 215.00 $215.00 $1,436 -9.00
728 728 4 210.00 $210.00 $1,529 +10.00
790 790 3 211.00 $211.00 $1,667 —
831 831 4 200.00 $200.00 $1,662 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150 1150 3 161.00 $161.00 $1,852 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
333–338 337 10 261.00–267.50 $265.57 $895 —
367–370 369 7 240.00–250.00 $245.73 $907 —
400–433 421 15 245.00–256.00 $248.67 $1,047 —
452–498 471 65 248.00–269.00 $253.40 $1,194 +7.40
503–548 533 111 233.00–252.00 $242.72 $1,294 +6.66
550–586 568 179 237.00–249.00 $241.51 $1,372 +13.05
600–645 626 142 221.00–235.75 $232.20 $1,454 +24.67
655–688 673 211 219.00–243.50 $229.22 $1,543 +28.78
700–734 717 84 199.50–211.00 $208.25 $1,493 +6.76
752–768 762 57 191.00–204.00 $198.11 $1,510 +7.62
812–823 818 14 181.50–187.00 $183.64 $1,502 -1.72
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
456 456 4 240.00 $240.00 $1,094 —
550–599 585 34 221.00–226.50 $224.01 $1,310 —
683 683 3 206.00 $206.00 $1,407 —

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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.