Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, April 17, 2026

2,113 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $357.04/cwt -3.93 vs last sale · ≈ $2,703/hd at 757 lb · 308 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $440.74/cwt -12.85 vs last sale · ≈ $2,781/hd at 631 lb · 221 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $471.95/cwt -1.53 vs last sale · ≈ $2,539/hd at 538 lb · 177 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,113 1,735 0
Feeder cattle 2,113 1,735 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Special Calf & Yearling Sale. No trend applicable, as the previous sale was Western Iowa Precondition. CME feeder cattle futures down 3.00 today. The auction consisted of twelve loads, nine half loads and many smaller strings. Good demand, especially on load lots of light calves.

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
381 381 3 600.00 $600.00 $2,286 -41.31
433 unweaned 433 4 530.00 $530.00 $2,295 —
418–446 436 16 540.00–585.00 $560.51 $2,444 -36.13
478 478 47 541.50 $541.50 $2,588 -5.63
535 unweaned 535 4 468.00 $468.00 $2,504 —
528–546 539 44 477.50–489.00 $484.36 $2,611 -41.54
552–581 554 144 473.00–511.50 $508.98 $2,820 +19.21
587–591 unweaned 589 7 431.00–439.00 $434.44 $2,559 —
607–643 631 221 431.00–447.00 $440.74 $2,781 -12.85
658–690 681 121 411.00–427.50 $421.81 $2,873 -39.48
724 724 7 385.00 $385.00 $2,787 -25.92
763–785 779 166 378.50–391.50 $388.13 $3,024 +17.40
802–842 829 45 367.75–383.50 $372.83 $3,091 -7.10
871–897 890 27 340.00–348.00 $345.97 $3,079 -0.56
906–947 926 117 338.00–352.00 $345.14 $3,196 +1.25

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
367 367 4 553.00 $553.00 $2,030 -13.72
421–441 429 11 503.00–535.00 $521.74 $2,238 -3.26
478 478 149 494.50 $494.50 $2,364 +0.37
501–544 538 177 452.00–486.50 $471.95 $2,539 -1.53
550–584 570 32 412.50–444.00 $430.22 $2,452 -3.25
627–638 636 59 393.00–406.00 $402.45 $2,560 -33.84
650–687 661 20 377.50–380.00 $379.03 $2,505 -48.35
679 679 18 389.00 $389.00 $2,641 -38.38
702–721 718 95 360.00–368.00 $362.92 $2,606 -19.90
750–779 757 308 336.00–361.50 $357.04 $2,703 -3.93
800–815 809 108 337.00–340.00 $338.11 $2,735 +3.42
893 893 44 314.50 $314.50 $2,808 -12.90
952 952 5 299.75 $299.75 $2,854 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
549 549 6 420.00 $420.00 $2,306 -20.00

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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.