Cattle Market Pulse

Ft. Pierre Livestock Auction (Friday) Market Report

Ft. Pierre, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 8, 2023

5,152 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Ft. Pierre Livestock Auction (Friday) report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $288.59/cwt +15.38 vs last sale · ≈ $1,644/hd at 570 lb · 990 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $268.51/cwt +0.04 vs last sale · ≈ $1,700/hd at 633 lb · 722 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $249.28/cwt +11.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,785/hd at 716 lb · 509 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,152 7,794 5,652
Feeder cattle 5,152 7,794 5,652

Compared to last week; feeder steers from 450 lbs to 549 lbs were steady to 6.00 lower, steers from 550 lbs to 599 lbs were 10.00 to 12.00 higher, steers from 600 lbs to 699 lbs were steady to 4.00 lower, steers from 750 lbs to 799 lbs were steady to 2.00 higher; heifers from 500 lbs to 649 lbs were 6.00 to 10.00 lower, no other comparisons were available. Big weaned calf special sale today with a few consignments of old crop yearlings. Several long strings of long time weaned, fully preconditioned calves were met with good to very good demand. Plenty of part loads and packages offered buyers the opportunity to put loads together. Flesh condition ranged from light fleshed hay fed cattle to moderate fleshed coming out of a grow yards. Lots of order buyers along with farmer feeders in the seats competing with internet buyers made for a fairly active market. A limited offering of yearlings sold on lower undertones and not as active a market when compared to calves. Next feeder sale will be Friday, January 5, 2024.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
368 thin fleshed 368 5 370.00 $370.00 $1,362
417–444 435 90 321.00–345.00 $334.10 $1,453 +9.10
450–499 472 222 298.00–334.00 $317.71 $1,500 -1.48
480 480 26 285.00 $285.00 $1,368 -34.19
515–538 530 179 274.00–300.00 $294.86 $1,563 -3.78
553–599 569 966 271.50–300.50 $289.13 $1,645 +12.67
599 599 24 267.00 $267.00 $1,599 +17.00
621–630 622 50 249.00 $249.00 $1,549 -20.11
602–649 634 667 251.00–275.50 $270.35 $1,714 +1.24
642 642 5 218.00 $218.00 $1,400 -51.11
659 659 33 236.00 $236.00 $1,555 -3.77
659–689 674 470 236.00–264.00 $251.16 $1,693 -5.77
713 713 11 222.00 $222.00 $1,583 +6.00
704–738 716 498 234.00–258.50 $249.88 $1,789 +9.88
754–799 768 217 234.50–248.00 $240.80 $1,849 +3.11
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
294 294 9 315.00 $315.00 $926 -44.00
328 328 12 324.00 $324.00 $1,063
378 378 8 317.50 $317.50 $1,200 -24.25
572–586 581 18 260.00–262.00 $261.34 $1,518

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
346 346 8 301.00 $301.00 $1,041 -21.09
355–380 369 16 300.00–311.00 $306.37 $1,131 -5.39
410 thin fleshed 410 51 337.00 $337.00 $1,382
436–448 439 26 292.00–300.00 $298.12 $1,309 +3.36
461 461 20 252.00 $252.00 $1,162 -16.86
463–494 487 131 267.50–288.00 $282.45 $1,376 +13.59
511–543 517 110 253.00–274.00 $269.48 $1,393 -5.09
539–540 540 20 232.00–243.00 $236.94 $1,279 -4.58
558–588 569 122 229.00–253.00 $248.76 $1,415 -8.25
600 600 100 254.00 $254.00 $1,524 +18.34
614–640 621 175 217.00–236.00 $228.12 $1,417 -7.54
646 646 5 203.00 $203.00 $1,311 -32.66
664 664 58 232.00 $232.00 $1,540 +13.62
753 753 58 200.00 $200.00 $1,506 -24.09
838 838 21 196.00 $196.00 $1,642 -23.00
871–872 872 137 191.00–194.00 $193.41 $1,687 -14.42
900–923 910 14 187.00–190.50 $188.98 $1,720 -26.93
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
347 347 9 280.00 $280.00 $972
447 447 13 260.00 $260.00 $1,162 -21.00
478 478 7 244.00 $244.00 $1,166 +19.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1049 1049 5 168.50 $168.50 $1,768
1100 1100 5 173.00 $173.00 $1,903

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
536 536 14 257.50 $257.50 $1,380
589 589 101 236.50 $236.50 $1,393
805 805 14 183.00 $183.00 $1,473

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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.