Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, January 17, 2025

2,317 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 $307.25/cwt +11.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,770/hd at 576 lb · 350 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $294.75/cwt -5.18 vs last sale · ≈ $2,152/hd at 730 lb · 321 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $339.50/cwt +4.01 vs last sale · ≈ $2,010/hd at 592 lb · 246 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,317 1,744 1,764
Feeder cattle 2,317 1,744 1,764

Market comments — USDA reporter

Western Iowa Precondition Sale. Compared to last week; steers 500-550 lbs 4.00-8.00 higher, 600-750 lbs mostly 3.00-5.00 lower. Light offering of heavier steers this week. Heifers 400-550 lbs sharply higher, 600-700 lbs 1.00-3.00 to sharply higher on load lots. Limited number of heavier heifers both weeks. Many load lots of calves, along with plenty of smaller strings in the offering today. Good demand, especially on the load lots, with buyers waiting to bid large advertised consignments.

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
366–395 381 6 405.00–409.00 $407.08 $1,551 +25.10
400–439 433 34 345.00–380.00 $370.92 $1,606 +6.27
471–498 488 54 354.00–381.50 $368.17 $1,797 +11.03
500–543 523 64 337.50–372.00 $361.43 $1,890 +7.70
557–599 592 246 327.00–360.00 $339.50 $2,010 +4.01
600–638 623 88 305.00–332.00 $318.92 $1,987 -8.77
652–696 669 63 288.00–312.00 $304.33 $2,036 -2.74
703–747 730 321 286.00–304.00 $294.75 $2,152 -5.18
751–793 777 54 269.00–284.00 $275.24 $2,139 -4.29
800–845 817 51 258.00–276.50 $270.12 $2,207 -10.59
933–947 940 8 250.00–260.00 $254.96 $2,397 +4.88
970 970 3 246.00 $246.00 $2,386 +1.39
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
544–547 545 20 320.00–332.00 $328.99 $1,793 +0.52
565 565 7 325.00 $325.00 $1,836 +17.00
625 625 7 280.00 $280.00 $1,750 —
677 677 6 281.00 $281.00 $1,902 +1.00
721 721 3 275.00 $275.00 $1,983 -5.00
857–888 869 8 254.00–256.00 $254.77 $2,214 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373–397 386 12 340.00–361.00 $350.43 $1,353 -20.94
413–440 429 46 339.00–368.00 $355.68 $1,526 +26.37
455–496 471 56 321.00–351.00 $338.89 $1,596 +0.84
507–545 520 123 304.50–330.50 $320.47 $1,666 +9.80
550–599 576 350 291.00–316.00 $307.25 $1,770 +11.52
607–638 623 104 275.00–294.00 $289.27 $1,802 -2.35
638 638 37 301.00 $301.00 $1,920 +9.38
661 661 6 284.00 $284.00 $1,877 +14.49
658–691 679 201 266.00–284.00 $281.95 $1,914 +12.44
711–746 742 87 259.00–272.00 $269.89 $2,003 +2.98
754–794 770 52 249.00–266.00 $256.42 $1,974 -2.56
903 903 3 225.00 $225.00 $2,032 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
494–496 495 13 310.00–314.00 $312.47 $1,547 +12.47

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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.