Cattle Market Pulse

Herreid Livestock Market Report

Herreid, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 17, 2021

2,018 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Herreid Livestock Market report →

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $185.92/cwt +12.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,154/hd at 621 lb · 469 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $186.32/cwt +4.38 vs last sale · ≈ $1,054/hd at 566 lb · 243 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $179.83/cwt +18.82 vs last sale · ≈ $1,204/hd at 670 lb · 200 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,018 3,485 1,835
Feeder cattle 2,018 3,485 1,835

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: best test on steer calves 550 to 600 lbs mostly steady, 601 to 650 lbs 3.00 to 4.00 higher. Heifer calves not well compared today. Very few yearling cattle offered today, no price trend available on yearlings. Good to very good demand for a handful of loads and many packages of calves. Slightly over half of the calves were weaned today, and most of the offering had at least one round of shots. Flesh varied, but mostly moderate to moderate plus. An active market with both buyers and farmer feeders competing for calves. The area is seeing a little snow and wind today and the weather has turned much colder than last week. This is the last feeder cattle sale of 2021, next feeder cattle sale is January 7, 2022.

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
433–447 437 49 200.00–210.00 $201.72 $882 —
472 472 10 198.00 $198.00 $935 -9.49
508–546 519 36 185.00–194.00 $190.90 $991 -14.72
553–575 565 234 182.50–189.50 $186.97 $1,056 +2.31
590 590 9 169.50 $169.50 $1,000 +6.69
600–614 fancy 607 200 192.00 $192.00 $1,165 —
600–647 631 269 176.00–187.25 $181.40 $1,145 +7.69
657–698 665 95 167.00–180.00 $176.32 $1,173 +15.31
669 fancy 669 87 187.25 $187.25 $1,253 —
698 698 18 162.50 $162.50 $1,134 +1.49
712–723 718 119 166.50–168.25 $167.52 $1,203 +3.28
758 758 75 166.50 $166.50 $1,262 +5.21
849 849 75 168.75 $168.75 $1,433 -0.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–378 372 20 192.50–210.00 $196.65 $732 —
546 546 50 174.50 $174.50 $953 —
614–640 634 58 160.00–162.50 $161.39 $1,023 +4.39

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430–442 436 24 170.50–173.00 $171.66 $748 -0.34
459–477 468 10 172.00–176.00 $174.04 $815 +8.92
513–540 524 102 160.00–170.00 $163.37 $856 +2.87
557–590 576 85 153.25–159.50 $156.28 $900 -2.06
640–641 640 111 154.50–169.75 $167.00 $1,069 +11.17
670 670 77 160.25 $160.25 $1,074 +14.78
767 767 15 141.50 $141.50 $1,085 —
853 853 13 147.50 $147.50 $1,258 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–388 384 12 169.00–176.00 $171.28 $658 —
615 615 12 147.00 $147.00 $904 —
744 744 12 144.50 $144.50 $1,075 —

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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.