Cattle Market Pulse

Kist Livestock Auction Market Report

Mandan, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 16, 2020

4,083 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $162.96/cwt +7.86 vs last sale · ≈ $935/hd at 574 lb · 578 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $152.30/cwt +4.50 vs last sale · ≈ $943/hd at 619 lb · 400 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $146.78/cwt +7.83 vs last sale · ≈ $992/hd at 676 lb · 293 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,083 3,487 5,223
Feeder cattle 4,083 3,487 5,223

Compared to last week all weights of steers were higher with 450 to 800 lb. steers 2.00 to 7.00 higher. Feeder heifers traded mixed with 450 to 500 lbs. 6.00 higher; 500 to 600 lb. were steady; 600 to 650 lbs. were 4.00 lower and 650 to 700 lbs. were steady compared to last week. Very good demand for todays offering. There is another warming trend in our area and buyers are making placements to take advantage of these good conditions. There is more weaned calves coming to market this week. Most calves were in light to moderate flesh condition. This will be the last feeder sale for the year. Next feeder sale will be January 6, 2021.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–340 333 9 201.00–202.50 $201.85 $672 +5.45
366–393 386 30 208.00–220.00 $213.85 $825 +16.35
400–448 436 74 175.00–204.00 $188.44 $822 -4.13
460–495 477 131 171.00–185.50 $181.58 $866 +2.14
500–547 531 279 165.00–180.00 $170.25 $904 +3.71
550–599 574 578 151.00–169.50 $162.96 $935 +7.86
600–645 619 400 142.00–160.25 $152.30 $943 +4.50
662–696 676 293 140.00–153.00 $146.78 $992 +7.83
700–749 727 232 133.00–147.50 $141.50 $1,029 +6.06
759–788 774 134 139.00–146.00 $143.83 $1,113 +7.03
800–841 833 92 130.00–139.75 $138.52 $1,154 +3.02
912 912 50 138.50 $138.50 $1,263
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 376 6 175.00 $175.00 $658
432–436 434 18 163.00–175.00 $169.03 $734
480 480 5 168.00 $168.00 $806 +8.13
547 547 5 154.50 $154.50 $845 +2.16
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040 1040 8 128.50 $128.50 $1,336 +11.00

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
338 338 12 174.00 $174.00 $588
384–386 385 26 169.00–171.50 $170.35 $656 +6.63
420–444 432 10 156.50–159.50 $158.04 $683 -1.11
451–494 467 115 149.00–156.50 $154.97 $724 +6.05
500–548 530 195 139.00–157.25 $146.63 $777 +0.07
551–593 576 205 133.50–145.50 $139.80 $805 +0.25
605–639 616 188 126.00–140.00 $132.68 $817 -4.25
650–693 668 202 122.00–134.00 $128.27 $857 +0.82
700–744 707 42 126.00–131.00 $127.37 $901 -1.31
774–779 776 12 123.50–129.50 $126.99 $985
810 810 5 128.50 $128.50 $1,041
881 881 15 128.50 $128.50 $1,132 +7.00
904–906 905 15 127.00–127.50 $127.30 $1,152 +17.30
992 992 7 127.00 $127.00 $1,260 +9.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
498 498 6 135.00 $135.00 $672 ±0.00
577–587 584 25 122.00–133.00 $127.47 $744 +1.92
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1133–1134 1134 9 122.00–123.00 $122.56 $1,390

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
434 434 15 183.00 $183.00 $794 +10.50
523–538 534 27 143.00–160.25 $155.24 $829 +22.24
568–571 570 12 140.00–148.00 $145.34 $828
769 769 17 120.00 $120.00 $923

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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.