Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, January 26, 2024

1,626 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 $246.88/cwt +4.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,555/hd at 630 lb · 180 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $228.01/cwt +12.32 vs last sale · ≈ $1,719/hd at 754 lb · 170 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $237.53/cwt +9.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,964/hd at 827 lb · 105 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,626 1,764 1,551
Feeder cattle 1,626 1,764 1,551

Special Calf & Yearling Sale. Many preconditioned cattle included today. Feeder cattle futures continue to improve, extending the upward trend in the market. Steers 600-800 lbs were mostly 8.00-11.00 higher with instances sharply higher. Light heifers 600 lbs were 5.00 higher. Heavier heifers 750 lbs were sharply higher. Numerous load lots of mostly yearling cattle offered today with many packages of lighter steers and heifers. Good demand throughout the sale.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–316 308 10 339.00–342.50 $340.08 $1,047 +11.51
390 390 2 322.50 $322.50 $1,258 +6.50
425–441 430 24 314.00–317.00 $314.90 $1,354 +10.36
457–490 466 31 290.50–305.00 $297.08 $1,384 -7.06
500–525 512 29 266.00–290.50 $280.19 $1,435 -21.07
550–580 572 65 269.50–292.50 $285.46 $1,633 +1.50
602–641 627 68 255.00–277.50 $273.58 $1,715 +7.58
650–698 676 77 260.00–275.50 $268.02 $1,812 +10.77
704–735 720 84 242.00–259.50 $251.50 $1,811 +13.10
726 unweaned 726 16 240.00 $240.00 $1,742
761–798 789 100 230.00–239.00 $231.78 $1,829 -4.12
821–844 827 105 225.00–239.25 $237.53 $1,964 +9.00
858–874 863 78 225.00–234.75 $233.51 $2,015 +11.08
918–942 936 86 194.00–223.50 $218.34 $2,044
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
406 406 3 282.00 $282.00 $1,145
545 545 6 255.00 $255.00 $1,390
565 565 4 240.00 $240.00 $1,356 -15.00
610–619 618 29 241.00–250.00 $245.77 $1,519
717–721 719 11 235.00–237.50 $236.13 $1,698
896 896 3 210.00 $210.00 $1,882
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020 1020 45 195.50 $195.50 $1,994

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
287 287 14 284.00 $284.00 $815
355 355 16 280.00 $280.00 $994
413–449 429 35 255.00–264.00 $257.68 $1,105 -5.78
450–489 470 23 245.00–265.00 $253.62 $1,192 +3.76
502–549 531 62 235.00–250.25 $243.44 $1,293 -1.13
570–594 580 36 252.50–256.50 $254.45 $1,476 +20.99
602–645 630 180 235.00–250.25 $246.88 $1,555 +4.86
660–692 678 41 222.50–231.00 $226.56 $1,536 -2.50
701–735 728 14 227.25–229.50 $227.71 $1,658 +0.40
750–785 754 170 222.00–229.00 $228.01 $1,719 +12.32
843 843 5 208.00 $208.00 $1,753 +37.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
361 361 4 261.00 $261.00 $942
552 552 5 227.00 $227.00 $1,253
617 617 4 216.00 $216.00 $1,333 -4.00
740 740 5 212.00 $212.00 $1,569
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1007 1007 4 181.00 $181.00 $1,823

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
287 287 6 320.00 $320.00 $918

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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.