Cattle Market Pulse

Kist Livestock Auction Market Report

Mandan, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 6, 2021

4,920 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $141.86/cwt +0.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,030/hd at 726 lb · 662 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $139.66/cwt -4.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,080/hd at 773 lb · 524 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $134.37/cwt ≈ $1,182/hd at 880 lb · 403 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,920 4,083 6,125
Feeder cattle 4,920 4,083 6,125

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to the last auction three week ago feeder steers 550 to 650 lbs. were 1.00 to 5.00 higher. 650 to 800 lbs. were steady to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers 500 to 600 lbs. were 1.00 to 3.00 lower and 600 to 700 lbs. were 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Other weights not well tested from last sale. Very good demand for todays offering. More long time weaned calves in todays sale and are desired by buyers. Most calves are coming in heavier this time of year due to the nice weather conditions this fall. Most calves were in moderate flesh condition.

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
390 390 16 186.00 $186.00 $725 -27.85
425 425 6 184.00 $184.00 $782 -4.44
478–496 489 31 170.00–183.00 $177.89 $870 -3.69
509–530 513 95 172.00–183.00 $180.23 $925 +9.98
551–599 575 196 151.00–168.00 $163.72 $941 +0.76
606–643 624 341 144.00–164.75 $157.00 $980 +4.70
658–696 673 184 135.50–157.25 $143.50 $966 -3.28
700–745 726 662 129.00–146.50 $141.86 $1,030 +0.36
750–796 773 524 130.25–145.25 $139.66 $1,080 -4.17
808–837 826 172 128.50–140.00 $136.13 $1,124 -2.39
855–896 880 403 124.00–138.00 $134.37 $1,182 —
902–922 914 199 128.75–134.75 $134.07 $1,225 -4.43
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1028 1028 12 121.00 $121.00 $1,244 -7.50
1051 1051 60 130.25 $130.25 $1,369 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
544 544 10 145.00 $145.00 $789 -9.50
578 578 7 146.00 $146.00 $844 —
629 629 5 137.00 $137.00 $862 —
670 670 5 131.00 $131.00 $878 —
718–724 721 16 115.00–123.00 $119.48 $861 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353–393 373 10 156.00–167.00 $161.79 $603 -8.56
422–447 435 22 158.00–161.50 $159.70 $695 +1.66
479–489 483 31 144.50–153.00 $149.73 $723 -5.24
508–548 530 130 139.00–149.00 $144.98 $768 -1.65
553–598 581 152 130.00–144.50 $136.68 $794 -3.12
610–648 627 259 126.00–138.00 $134.66 $844 +1.98
653–676 661 173 128.00–134.00 $131.55 $870 +3.28
710–735 722 173 123.00–130.50 $127.85 $923 +0.48
759–790 765 194 125.00–129.25 $127.85 $978 +0.86
872–882 880 89 122.75–125.50 $123.15 $1,084 -5.35
903–935 923 28 120.00–126.00 $124.35 $1,148 -2.95
959–997 983 53 120.00–124.50 $121.94 $1,199 -5.06
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
480–494 488 15 131.00–136.00 $134.03 $654 -0.97
566–598 581 13 116.00–127.50 $122.03 $709 -5.44
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1053–1098 1082 12 113.00–117.50 $115.11 $1,245 —

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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.