Cattle Market Hub City Livestock Auction Market Report
Aberdeen, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Wednesday, December 6, 20234,370 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest Hub City Livestock Auction report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 4,370 | 4,777 | 4,864 |
| Feeder cattle | 4,370 | 4,777 | 4,864 |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Feeder Steers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 358 | 358 | 6 | 325.00 | $325.00 | $1,164 | -6.22 |
| 405–447 | 423 | 37 | 300.00–327.00 | $310.75 | $1,314 | -18.61 |
| 450–490 | 473 | 92 | 302.00–313.00 | $307.83 | $1,456 | -3.02 |
| 502–546 | 528 | 273 | 274.00–299.00 | $282.29 | $1,490 | -26.70 |
| 557–593 | 568 | 285 | 264.00–285.00 | $274.08 | $1,557 | -3.61 |
| 600–646 | 617 | 368 | 250.00–277.00 | $258.67 | $1,596 | -8.28 |
| 645–649 | 648 | 42 | 244.00 | $244.00 | $1,581 | -2.89 |
| 655 | 655 | 20 | 230.00 | $230.00 | $1,506 | -22.53 |
| 661–679 | 669 | 63 | 239.00–258.00 | $249.43 | $1,669 | -3.10 |
| 702–726 | 721 | 77 | 231.00–233.00 | $231.38 | $1,668 | -13.89 |
| 729 | 729 | 15 | 218.00 | $218.00 | $1,589 | -27.27 |
| 759 | 759 | 17 | 229.50 | $229.50 | $1,742 | -5.11 |
| 820 | 820 | 11 | 224.00 | $224.00 | $1,837 | -8.62 |
| 910–923 | 917 | 151 | 205.75–216.50 | $210.34 | $1,929 | — |
| 968 | 968 | 53 | 225.50 | $225.50 | $2,183 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1005–1037 | 1028 | 136 | 199.50–220.00 | $205.76 | $2,115 | — |
| 1130–1142 | 1134 | 180 | 186.00–190.00 | $189.49 | $2,149 | — |
| 1241 | 1241 | 48 | 180.25 | $180.25 | $2,237 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 433–434 | 433 | 21 | 292.50–295.00 | $294.17 | $1,274 | -6.76 |
| 479–490 | 484 | 33 | 278.00–285.00 | $281.22 | $1,361 | -14.78 |
| 502–536 | 521 | 60 | 259.00–260.00 | $259.43 | $1,352 | -13.97 |
| 553 | 553 | 8 | 245.00 | $245.00 | $1,355 | -1.00 |
| 614–638 | 629 | 39 | 231.00–236.00 | $233.62 | $1,469 | — |
| 737 | 737 | 44 | 219.50 | $219.50 | $1,618 | — |
| 901 | 901 | 17 | 204.00 | $204.00 | $1,838 | — |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 374 | 374 | 5 | 272.00 | $272.00 | $1,017 | -32.96 |
| 411–449 | 433 | 48 | 260.00–279.00 | $269.25 | $1,166 | -7.65 |
| 459–496 | 476 | 139 | 253.00–270.00 | $263.44 | $1,254 | +5.16 |
| 509–549 | 533 | 147 | 236.50–250.00 | $245.08 | $1,306 | -4.66 |
| 555–598 | 565 | 176 | 230.00–249.00 | $242.50 | $1,370 | -1.29 |
| 600–621 | 605 | 101 | 227.00–251.00 | $233.04 | $1,410 | -5.05 |
| 663 | 663 | 18 | 223.50 | $223.50 | $1,482 | -3.89 |
| 781 | 781 | 68 | 196.50 | $196.50 | $1,535 | -17.21 |
| 810–838 | 830 | 136 | 195.00–198.50 | $196.95 | $1,635 | +4.95 |
| 867–885 | 878 | 99 | 194.50–206.25 | $201.91 | $1,773 | — |
| 907–948 | 928 | 274 | 191.50–207.50 | $198.08 | $1,838 | — |
| 950–952 | 951 | 188 | 195.00–207.50 | $203.51 | $1,935 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 332 | 332 | 6 | 261.00 | $261.00 | $867 | -13.00 |
| 402–436 | 415 | 31 | 227.00–251.00 | $241.97 | $1,004 | -0.03 |
| 469–475 | 473 | 33 | 226.00 | $226.00 | $1,069 | — |
| 571 | 571 | 8 | 226.00 | $226.00 | $1,290 | — |
| 624 | 624 | 40 | 205.50 | $205.50 | $1,282 | — |
| 707 | 707 | 25 | 186.00 | $186.00 | $1,315 | — |
| 733 | 733 | 23 | 190.00 | $190.00 | $1,393 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1029 | 1029 | 38 | 191.50 | $191.50 | $1,971 | — |
| 1057–1067 | 1058 | 73 | 188.50–191.00 | $188.78 | $1,997 | — |
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.
Compared to Last Wednesday: steer calves 450 to 499 lbs and 600 to 649 lbs 3.00 to 4.00 lower, 500 to 599 lbs steady to 4.00 higher. Yearling steers not well compared. Heifer calves 450 to 499 lbs mostly steady, 500 to 599 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 lower. Best test on yearling heifers 900 to 949 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for yearlings, mostly moderate demand for calves. A couple strings and loads made up most of the yearling offering. Varied quality, from plain to attractive, with most of the cattle carrying some flesh, Mostly packages and just a handful of loads for the calf offering. A few consignments of weaned calves, but quite a few of these were weaned less than 30 days, the majority still coming right off the cow. Preconditioning varied, lots with just a good round of fall shots and not much for spring time and few just 7 way deals. Mostly light to moderate flesh on calves overall. A moderate to active market with both buyers and farmer feeders in the seats. The futures complex continues to frustrate with another day of losses on both feeder and live cattle, some months over 5.00. The area is enjoying unusually warm temps, today was close to 60 degrees. Next feeder cattle sale is Wednesday, December 13.