Cattle Market Pulse

Kist Livestock Auction Market Report

Mandan, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 6, 2023

2,594 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $221.89/cwt -4.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,258/hd at 567 lb · 223 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $263.42/cwt -11.71 vs last sale · ≈ $1,533/hd at 582 lb · 197 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $223.27/cwt -8.16 vs last sale · ≈ $1,393/hd at 624 lb · 152 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,594 4,559 4,116
Feeder cattle 2,594 4,559 4,116

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week the market was lower on most recorded weights. Feeder steers 500 to 550 lbs. were steady, 550 to 700 lbs. were 5.00 to 15.00 lower this week. Feeder heifers 450 to 500 lbs. were 5.00 lower and 500 to 650 lbs. were 1.00 to 8.00 lower this week. Only moderate demand by buyers today for the offering due to the uncertainty of the market. There were few strings of black hided calves that were pushed by the buyers today but the red hided calves did not find much interest and were much lower than the black calves. Flesh condition was light to moderate for those feeders offered today. The last feeder sale for the year will be next week, Dec. 13th.

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
384 384 17 315.00 $315.00 $1,210 -17.11
428–445 442 44 290.00–315.00 $308.15 $1,362 -7.07
469–494 478 78 288.00–304.00 $293.93 $1,405 -13.16
500–544 535 115 262.50–293.00 $287.81 $1,540 +0.51
558–598 582 197 249.00–282.00 $263.42 $1,533 -10.21
603–625 616 119 246.00–265.00 $256.54 $1,580 +9.54
641 641 7 239.00 $239.00 $1,532 -22.99
652–699 684 102 233.00–247.50 $238.45 $1,631 -14.78
704–739 718 72 229.00–245.50 $236.63 $1,699 -9.63
759–782 767 63 217.00–230.50 $226.15 $1,735 —
862–882 875 16 186.00–195.00 $189.58 $1,659 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
491 491 21 247.50 $247.50 $1,215 -22.71
500–526 507 68 227.50–254.00 $244.31 $1,239 -17.69
569–598 589 58 240.00–245.00 $240.84 $1,419 -12.22
603–641 626 69 220.00–239.00 $232.42 $1,455 —
696 696 8 217.00 $217.00 $1,510 -20.95
716 716 10 212.50 $212.50 $1,522 —
764 764 11 205.00 $205.00 $1,566 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
403–428 416 54 257.00–279.50 $270.05 $1,123 -4.62
473–497 482 117 255.00–270.00 $266.71 $1,286 -5.64
506–538 530 108 246.00–274.00 $258.28 $1,369 -1.52
553–566 559 39 247.00–256.50 $251.82 $1,408 +8.64
600–648 624 152 217.00–230.00 $223.27 $1,393 -8.16
675–678 677 22 200.00–204.00 $202.20 $1,369 -12.58
710 710 13 204.00 $204.00 $1,448 -1.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408–411 408 41 230.00–235.00 $234.51 $957 -35.00
470–490 478 41 228.00–237.00 $231.00 $1,104 —
519–544 526 45 224.00–232.50 $227.10 $1,195 -7.37
556–587 567 223 211.00–229.50 $221.89 $1,258 -4.67
611–647 631 31 205.00–211.00 $209.27 $1,320 -2.09

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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.