Cattle Market Pulse

Hub City Livestock Auction Market Report

Aberdeen, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Saturday, December 3, 2022

4,734 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Hub City Livestock Auction report →

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $206.93/cwt +3.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,287/hd at 622 lb · 474 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $225.27/cwt +11.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,292/hd at 574 lb · 458 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $196.00/cwt +4.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,417/hd at 723 lb · 298 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,734 6,216 5,062
Feeder cattle 4,734 6,216 5,062

Market comments — USDA reporter

Today was the annual Saturday weaned calf sale. Compared to calves on Wednesday: steers 450 to 500 lbs mostly steady with instances 4.00 lower, 501 to 700 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Heifers 450 to 500 lbs 3.00 to 4.00 lower, 501 to 600 lbs mostly steady. A large offering of packages and loads for this special sale. All calves were long time weaned and most were fully preconditioned. Flesh condition varied quite a bit, from light to moderate plus, calves overall showing less flesh than usually seen at this sale. Quality ranged from plain to attractive. An active market with both order buyers and farmer feeders attending. Regular feeder cattle sale on Wednesday, December 7.

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
363–391 369 54 231.00–242.50 $239.17 $883 -14.92
405–449 430 79 229.00–242.00 $236.43 $1,017 -6.84
453–489 478 245 227.00–236.50 $232.76 $1,113 -2.51
500–547 516 216 221.00–235.00 $231.39 $1,194 +5.72
515–546 537 56 215.00–219.00 $216.17 $1,161 -9.50
552–583 564 16 206.00–210.00 $207.55 $1,171 -6.55
559–588 574 442 213.00–229.00 $225.91 $1,297 +11.81
600–642 620 439 196.00–214.50 $208.26 $1,291 +4.84
647 647 35 190.25 $190.25 $1,231 -13.17
655–696 669 204 191.00–208.00 $199.46 $1,334 +7.86
669 669 64 182.50 $182.50 $1,221 -9.10
706–734 723 298 190.50–199.00 $196.00 $1,417 +2.06
750–779 764 211 183.50–195.75 $189.93 $1,451 —
770 770 44 179.75 $179.75 $1,384 —
813–831 820 162 182.50–190.25 $186.17 $1,527 +3.64
870 870 23 181.25 $181.25 $1,577 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
313–347 337 64 226.00–239.00 $230.53 $777 —
437–444 440 19 226.00–227.00 $226.37 $996 +2.94
476 476 7 214.00 $214.00 $1,019 -6.22
506–547 528 70 205.50–213.50 $210.39 $1,111 +6.81
566–593 588 32 186.00–195.00 $192.71 $1,133 -5.20

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
320–345 332 29 207.00–214.00 $210.51 $699 —
382–387 384 33 201.00–205.00 $203.78 $783 -7.89
404–449 431 69 200.50–209.00 $204.02 $879 -3.40
452–487 468 187 196.00–205.00 $200.47 $938 -6.39
507–549 532 164 192.00–207.00 $202.65 $1,078 +4.88
523–546 540 38 184.50–185.50 $185.25 $1,000 -12.52
559 559 102 204.00 $204.00 $1,140 +17.55
550–598 577 113 176.00–189.00 $184.49 $1,065 -1.96
578 578 7 180.00 $180.00 $1,040 -6.45
617–645 628 189 174.50–187.50 $180.92 $1,136 +3.44
621–649 644 40 162.00–167.50 $166.57 $1,073 -10.91
647 647 46 167.50 $167.50 $1,084 -9.98
651–687 665 57 163.50–174.00 $169.21 $1,125 +7.21
730–744 732 81 164.50–172.00 $170.87 $1,251 -1.88
751–758 757 40 165.50–168.00 $167.75 $1,270 -7.42
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
303–335 329 56 186.00–200.00 $197.70 $650 —
385–392 390 15 193.00–194.00 $193.74 $756 -2.26
469–485 476 34 181.00–190.00 $184.82 $880 -0.07
527–547 533 46 179.00–180.50 $180.03 $960 -0.92

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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.