Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 20, 2024

2,651 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $280.15/cwt +14.15 vs last sale · ≈ $2,023/hd at 722 lb · 291 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $297.91/cwt +12.85 vs last sale · ≈ $1,695/hd at 569 lb · 265 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $295.67/cwt +18.30 vs last sale · ≈ $2,005/hd at 678 lb · 244 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,651 1,127 2,300
Feeder cattle 2,651 1,127 2,300

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. No comparison, as the last sale was not Precondition. Most of the auction consisted of half loads and smaller strings. Full crowd in the arena for the last feeder cattle sale of the year! Good demand both online and in the seats. The next Precondition feeder cattle sale will be January 3, 2025.

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
418–445 426 13 370.00–380.00 $373.21 $1,590 -44.29
452–461 458 18 349.00–385.00 $371.17 $1,700 +14.41
500–549 536 126 315.00–347.00 $328.48 $1,761 +16.79
551–595 583 113 304.00–333.00 $318.02 $1,854 +23.34
606–646 624 166 285.00–311.00 $298.35 $1,862 -3.60
653–695 678 244 281.00–309.00 $295.67 $2,005 +17.49
701–749 722 291 261.00–287.00 $280.15 $2,023 +14.15
754–790 772 150 255.50–279.75 $269.18 $2,078 —
800–829 817 61 249.00–265.75 $259.10 $2,117 +5.60
881–896 890 22 239.00–241.50 $240.69 $2,142 -10.12
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
450–497 485 33 316.00–340.00 $326.54 $1,584 +4.84
510 510 22 310.00 $310.00 $1,581 —
593 593 3 296.00 $296.00 $1,755 +14.00
618–647 641 15 271.50–276.00 $272.37 $1,746 -4.63
679–699 684 47 265.00–277.50 $274.11 $1,875 +20.11

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 6 341.00 $341.00 $1,176 —
361 361 3 345.00 $345.00 $1,245 +1.31
418–428 425 11 331.00–337.00 $335.39 $1,425 +2.13
462–497 472 38 312.00–335.00 $319.64 $1,509 +17.30
504–542 519 76 301.00–321.00 $309.63 $1,607 +10.57
550–587 569 265 283.00–303.00 $297.91 $1,695 +12.85
604–636 617 159 277.00–301.00 $291.10 $1,796 +18.10
637 637 34 310.00 $310.00 $1,975 +37.00
669–695 683 131 255.00–266.50 $264.40 $1,806 -6.60
652–698 690 98 269.00–271.00 $270.19 $1,864 -0.81
709 709 15 268.00 $268.00 $1,900 +11.93
705–722 715 58 248.00–263.00 $260.21 $1,861 +4.14
754–798 770 45 230.00–245.00 $238.11 $1,833 -11.14
872–888 881 9 212.50–226.00 $218.44 $1,924 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
525–533 528 12 285.00–290.00 $286.68 $1,514 +11.68
612–631 620 41 251.00–272.50 $269.08 $1,668 —

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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.