Cattle Market Hub City Livestock Auction Market Report
Aberdeen, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Wednesday, December 20, 20231,483 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 | 1,483 | 3,747 | 4,023 |
| Feeder cattle | 1,483 | 3,747 | 4,023 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 385–397 | 393 | 32 | 321.00–337.00 | $326.89 | $1,285 | — |
| 471–477 | 472 | 34 | 293.00–295.00 | $294.58 | $1,390 | -2.37 |
| 453–486 | 481 | 58 | 297.50–318.00 | $310.99 | $1,496 | +14.04 |
| 519–543 | 527 | 56 | 292.00–311.00 | $303.49 | $1,599 | +9.12 |
| 552–568 | 560 | 182 | 279.50–291.50 | $283.97 | $1,590 | +23.97 |
| 603 | 603 | 16 | 269.00 | $269.00 | $1,622 | +17.48 |
| 663 | 663 | 8 | 245.00 | $245.00 | $1,624 | -16.91 |
| 736 | 736 | 60 | 239.00 | $239.00 | $1,759 | +2.21 |
| 983–999 | 995 | 71 | 207.00–213.50 | $211.87 | $2,108 | -3.98 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 341 | 341 | 9 | 328.00 | $328.00 | $1,118 | — |
| 476 | 476 | 48 | 285.00 | $285.00 | $1,357 | +26.87 |
| 540 | 540 | 12 | 255.00 | $255.00 | $1,377 | -7.16 |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 312–322 | 316 | 21 | 302.00–313.00 | $306.27 | $968 | — |
| 357 | 357 | 7 | 270.00 | $270.00 | $964 | — |
| 416–424 | 421 | 54 | 268.50–290.00 | $277.41 | $1,168 | +25.03 |
| 458–487 | 480 | 84 | 267.50–280.00 | $270.48 | $1,298 | +2.02 |
| 518–532 | 523 | 83 | 263.00–285.00 | $276.41 | $1,446 | +22.06 |
| 590 | 590 | 6 | 246.00 | $246.00 | $1,451 | -5.90 |
| 609–634 | 631 | 50 | 238.00–239.00 | $238.86 | $1,507 | -8.25 |
| 796 | 796 | 13 | 205.00 | $205.00 | $1,632 | +3.70 |
| 802–834 | 808 | 74 | 190.00–209.00 | $206.91 | $1,672 | — |
| 874 | 874 | 6 | 197.00 | $197.00 | $1,722 | -5.12 |
| 903 | 903 | 9 | 200.00 | $200.00 | $1,806 | -5.26 |
| 954–974 | 963 | 102 | 197.00–205.25 | $202.58 | $1,951 | +8.71 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1024 | 1024 | 11 | 193.00 | $193.00 | $1,976 | -9.00 |
| 1091 | 1091 | 10 | 190.00 | $190.00 | $2,073 | +0.11 |
| 1111 | 1111 | 48 | 188.75 | $188.75 | $2,097 | — |
| 1155–1171 | 1161 | 26 | 187.50–189.00 | $188.02 | $2,183 | +5.24 |
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.
Too light an offering to compared to last week and develop an accurate price trend, higher undertones noted on calves. Good demand for both yearlings and calves today. Just a couple loads and some packages of yearlings with quite a few tested open heifers. Less flesh overall on yearlings this week. Mostly packages of calves today. Not quite half of the calves were weaned, some only for a short time. Most calves had some preconditioning and flesh varied, mostly light to moderate overall. An active market with a few less buyers and farmer feeders attending the sale. This is the last feeder cattle sale of 2023, next feeder cattle sale will be January 3, 2024. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!