Cattle Market Pulse

Kist Livestock Auction Market Report

Mandan, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, January 3, 2024

2,736 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $291.16/cwt +22.61 vs last sale · ≈ $1,686/hd at 579 lb · 257 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $225.00/cwt +10.88 vs last sale · ≈ $1,872/hd at 832 lb · 244 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $273.42/cwt +13.63 vs last sale · ≈ $1,435/hd at 525 lb · 180 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,736 3,752 2,464
Feeder cattle 2,736 3,752 2,464

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to the last reported feeder sale three weeks ago feeder steers were higher with 500 to 600 lbs. 19.00 to 24.00 higher this week and the 650 to 700 lbs. were 1.00 higher. Feeder heifers 500 to 550 lbs. were 10.00 higher. Other weights of steers and heifers not well tested for a comparison. Some nice strings and loads of calves in todays offering. Buyers were aggressively bidding to get their orders filled. Much more optimism in the futures market by buyers today than there was the month of December. More calves coming to market backgrounded and full series of shot. Flesh condition was light to moderate plus on the calves in todays offering.

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
333 333 8 362.50 $362.50 $1,207 +31.85
353–398 379 21 330.00–352.50 $338.99 $1,285 +6.49
419–443 423 34 334.00–349.00 $345.95 $1,463 +28.45
473–497 492 43 317.50–334.00 $323.27 $1,590 +10.82
507–546 523 108 272.00–318.50 $307.72 $1,609 +19.20
551–598 579 257 283.00–300.00 $291.16 $1,686 +24.00
627–641 636 54 264.00–274.50 $270.49 $1,720 +9.39
663–683 678 162 246.25–260.00 $250.12 $1,696 +49.12
701–742 717 142 225.00–246.00 $238.90 $1,713 -7.36
755–774 763 39 232.00–239.50 $235.68 $1,798 +0.94
807–842 832 244 219.00–235.00 $225.00 $1,872 +10.88
954–962 961 74 203.00–212.50 $211.23 $2,030 +2.23
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 6 310.00 $310.00 $1,194 —
474 474 12 272.00 $272.00 $1,289 —
561–596 569 46 262.00–272.00 $268.82 $1,530 +17.33
631–649 639 23 240.00–253.50 $247.54 $1,582 +6.37
788 788 8 214.00 $214.00 $1,686 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1016 1016 7 200.00 $200.00 $2,032 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 13 288.00 $288.00 $1,005 -25.00
393 393 9 299.00 $299.00 $1,175 -6.00
405 thin fleshed 405 12 308.00 $308.00 $1,247 —
435–442 437 61 283.00–299.00 $288.14 $1,259 +2.49
462–491 476 45 266.00–281.00 $277.81 $1,322 +7.38
471–499 thin fleshed 487 53 280.00–294.00 $289.49 $1,410 -2.96
504–537 522 120 257.50–280.50 $269.43 $1,406 +9.64
516–539 fancy 531 60 280.00–285.00 $281.40 $1,494 —
550–589 573 64 253.00–274.00 $261.51 $1,498 +8.32
613–638 626 80 233.00–245.50 $239.22 $1,498 +9.95
659–674 671 59 224.50–236.00 $226.83 $1,522 +17.83
719 719 7 227.00 $227.00 $1,632 +19.50
816–842 817 134 207.25–212.00 $207.51 $1,695 —
876 876 11 213.00 $213.00 $1,866 +5.59
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425–426 425 12 262.50–265.00 $264.17 $1,123 —
492–494 494 24 250.00–264.00 $260.51 $1,287 +22.50
501–519 509 16 217.50–225.00 $221.65 $1,128 -11.49
581–584 582 18 239.00–241.50 $240.52 $1,400 +5.06
601–647 613 20 202.50–209.00 $207.28 $1,271 —

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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.