Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, March 1, 2024

1,202 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 $260.99/cwt -6.33 vs last sale · ≈ $1,597/hd at 612 lb · 108 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $239.18/cwt -9.10 vs last sale · ≈ $1,614/hd at 675 lb · 94 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $298.44/cwt +13.89 vs last sale · ≈ $1,841/hd at 617 lb · 94 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,202 2,030 1,474
Feeder cattle 1,202 2,030 1,474

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. Compared to the sale last week: 550-700 steers were mostly 6.00-10.00 lower, 750-850 lbs 4.00-6.00 higher. Heifers 600-700 lbs 3.00-5.00 lower with instances 11.00 lower. Light sale this week. Load lot of yearling steers in the offering today, along with plenty of smaller packages. Demand good.

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
265 265 3 415.00 $415.00 $1,100 —
338–346 342 9 375.00–397.50 $384.87 $1,316 —
358 358 8 390.00 $390.00 $1,396 +19.49
405–445 422 12 357.50–375.00 $365.20 $1,541 +4.42
471–496 486 50 330.00–357.50 $349.90 $1,701 +7.04
503–526 512 15 337.00–367.50 $357.80 $1,832 +26.13
550–586 578 70 313.00–324.00 $315.42 $1,823 -6.48
608–648 617 94 281.00–309.00 $298.44 $1,841 +13.89
653–689 671 69 270.00–285.00 $275.96 $1,852 -13.68
708–727 715 59 255.00–264.00 $261.48 $1,870 -10.13
753–787 763 74 254.50–269.50 $260.22 $1,985 +4.31
824–830 828 38 245.00–249.00 $247.95 $2,053 +3.02
860–865 864 59 240.50–247.25 $245.88 $2,124 +5.83
923 923 60 238.00 $238.00 $2,197 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
626 626 4 280.00 $280.00 $1,753 —
671–695 686 13 242.00–260.00 $253.23 $1,737 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1106–1126 1117 7 191.00–196.00 $193.88 $2,166 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
294 294 7 367.50 $367.50 $1,080 —
316–340 328 6 345.00–357.50 $351.02 $1,151 +3.02
366–373 371 13 332.50–355.00 $337.62 $1,253 -6.84
467–497 474 51 315.00–340.00 $321.17 $1,522 +15.49
511–546 543 32 288.50–302.50 $289.74 $1,573 -2.45
558–586 576 45 270.00–283.00 $274.74 $1,583 +0.68
600–628 612 108 250.00–267.25 $260.99 $1,597 -6.33
650–696 675 94 236.00–249.50 $239.18 $1,614 -9.10
720–745 729 87 229.75–237.50 $234.96 $1,713 -2.78
889 889 7 210.00 $210.00 $1,867 -2.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
484 484 9 304.00 $304.00 $1,471 —
525 525 7 266.00 $266.00 $1,396 —

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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.