Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, April 26, 2024

2,064 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $279.76/cwt +18.44 vs last sale · ≈ $1,637/hd at 585 lb · 188 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $234.66/cwt +14.05 vs last sale · ≈ $1,840/hd at 784 lb · 179 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $317.70/cwt -7.30 vs last sale · ≈ $1,824/hd at 574 lb · 160 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,064 1,180 2,679
Feeder cattle 2,064 1,180 2,679

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. No comparison today, as the previous sale was not Precondition. Upward trend noted. Included in the offering was a load lot of heifer calves and several strings of yearlings. Large crowd today. Good demand 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
432–449 442 40 333.00–360.00 $349.71 $1,546 —
483–496 493 31 324.00–340.00 $328.67 $1,620 -20.33
500–548 519 43 320.00–344.00 $331.06 $1,718 —
550–594 574 160 301.00–330.00 $317.70 $1,824 -7.30
600–649 619 124 292.00–318.00 $301.47 $1,866 +0.47
658–683 670 79 277.00–304.25 $294.65 $1,974 +4.36
700–735 709 35 275.00–285.50 $280.52 $1,989 +28.85
752–776 763 74 249.50–273.50 $260.17 $1,985 +17.43
802–846 820 55 235.00–245.00 $241.94 $1,984 —
866 866 9 236.00 $236.00 $2,044 -3.93
913 913 6 221.00 $221.00 $2,018 —
984–991 990 32 212.50–215.50 $215.03 $2,129 -0.51
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
659 659 5 260.00 $260.00 $1,713 —
720–730 725 21 227.00–250.00 $239.13 $1,734 —
786 786 5 240.00 $240.00 $1,886 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000 1000 7 216.50 $216.50 $2,165 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
402–436 426 36 333.00–342.50 $337.73 $1,439 —
454–483 467 64 307.00–340.00 $324.05 $1,513 +19.05
516–549 532 64 283.00–305.00 $293.89 $1,563 —
555–599 585 188 270.00–284.50 $279.76 $1,637 +16.84
607–643 622 108 259.00–279.00 $273.23 $1,699 +20.04
662 662 27 269.25 $269.25 $1,782 —
663–688 684 107 250.00–265.50 $258.89 $1,771 —
696 696 5 240.00 $240.00 $1,670 —
732–746 742 39 228.00–236.50 $233.92 $1,736 +3.92
753–797 784 179 230.50–240.75 $234.66 $1,840 +16.16
801–804 802 33 233.25–235.50 $235.02 $1,885 +18.16
810 810 23 239.00 $239.00 $1,936 +22.14
812 812 28 222.00 $222.00 $1,803 +5.14
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
607–640 618 19 247.50–250.00 $249.32 $1,541 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
553 553 6 270.00 $270.00 $1,493 —

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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.