Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, January 5, 2024

3,357 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 $233.34/cwt +4.69 vs last sale · ≈ $1,463/hd at 627 lb · 383 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $235.24/cwt +7.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,830/hd at 778 lb · 287 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $228.58/cwt +31.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,735/hd at 759 lb · 280 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,357 1,550 3,714
Feeder cattle 3,357 1,550 3,714

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. Compared to the sale last Friday; light steers 600-700 lbs 4.00-5.00 higher, steers 800 lbs 6.00-9.00 higher. Light heifers, 500-700 lbs were mostly 4.00-6.00 higher, 750 lb heifers sharply higher. Plenty of packages of both light calves and heavier cattle 800-900 lbs in the offering today. Demand good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 4 309.00 $309.00 $1,075
396 396 4 308.00 $308.00 $1,220 +1.38
439 439 6 303.00 $303.00 $1,330
465–487 472 52 303.00–317.50 $313.21 $1,478 +39.13
509–542 519 44 278.00–306.00 $287.73 $1,493 +15.34
555–596 580 130 267.50–289.00 $280.66 $1,628 +11.28
602–643 620 166 255.00–272.00 $265.38 $1,645 +5.30
650–693 669 239 240.50–265.25 $256.45 $1,716 +5.17
703–745 727 264 232.75–257.50 $244.07 $1,774 +3.71
752–792 778 287 220.00–242.75 $235.24 $1,830 +7.51
804–847 836 179 216.00–236.00 $232.68 $1,945 +10.52
866–893 874 112 217.50–224.25 $222.77 $1,947 +12.56
922–938 926 35 198.00–214.00 $211.57 $1,959 -7.68
975 975 51 206.00 $206.00 $2,008 +21.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465–499 491 20 276.00–295.00 $282.29 $1,386
548 548 6 270.00 $270.00 $1,480 +19.00
590 590 7 256.00 $256.00 $1,510
671 671 5 235.00 $235.00 $1,577 +10.00
743–745 744 23 229.00–230.00 $229.43 $1,707 +14.43
773 773 5 215.00 $215.00 $1,662

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
401–442 421 37 240.00–260.00 $252.90 $1,065 -2.43
454–498 476 62 240.00–256.50 $252.72 $1,203 +2.02
514–547 528 97 239.00–254.00 $249.44 $1,317 +3.76
552–598 574 198 226.00–249.00 $238.65 $1,370 +0.76
602–646 627 383 220.00–243.00 $233.34 $1,463 +4.69
655–699 677 128 215.00–234.00 $223.55 $1,513 +5.20
700–744 725 135 211.00–228.00 $223.86 $1,623 +6.49
751–774 759 280 219.25–235.00 $228.58 $1,735 +31.27
802–822 811 14 191.00–205.00 $196.12 $1,591 -2.88
861–894 882 36 192.00–200.00 $194.82 $1,718
928 928 9 186.00 $186.00 $1,726 +10.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
328 328 4 237.00 $237.00 $777
488 488 6 231.00 $231.00 $1,127
555–598 587 12 217.00–220.00 $217.71 $1,278
615 615 5 210.00 $210.00 $1,292

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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.