Cattle Market Mobridge Livestock Exchange (Thursday) Market Report
Mobridge, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Thursday, December 12, 20241,455 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest Mobridge Livestock Exchange (Thursday) report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 1,455 | 4,746 | 4,316 |
| Feeder cattle | 1,455 | 4,746 | 4,316 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 325–349 | 338 | 20 | 420.00–437.50 | $429.93 | $1,453 | -22.72 |
| 356–398 | 376 | 33 | 390.00–416.00 | $403.81 | $1,518 | -26.75 |
| 402–430 | 421 | 93 | 387.00–412.00 | $396.34 | $1,669 | -5.19 |
| 467–497 | 488 | 125 | 347.00–375.00 | $360.14 | $1,757 | -1.91 |
| 509–535 | 524 | 110 | 327.50–357.50 | $341.38 | $1,789 | -24.63 |
| 550–591 | 570 | 130 | 310.00–339.50 | $324.58 | $1,850 | -13.23 |
| 607–641 | 616 | 72 | 312.00–335.00 | $323.04 | $1,990 | -4.91 |
| 651–658 | 654 | 11 | 292.00–295.00 | $293.63 | $1,920 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 346 | 346 | 4 | 405.00 | $405.00 | $1,401 | ±0.00 |
| 386 | 386 | 7 | 375.00 | $375.00 | $1,448 | — |
| 440–442 | 441 | 14 | 320.00–337.00 | $332.16 | $1,465 | -40.34 |
| 522–547 | 540 | 20 | 319.00–322.50 | $321.48 | $1,736 | -13.52 |
| 580 | 580 | 10 | 302.50 | $302.50 | $1,754 | — |
| 637 | 637 | 46 | 296.00 | $296.00 | $1,886 | -9.00 |
| 645 | 645 | 15 | 304.00 | $304.00 | $1,961 | -1.00 |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 328 | 328 | 7 | 375.00 | $375.00 | $1,230 | -21.36 |
| 364–393 | 378 | 66 | 350.00–420.00 | $371.70 | $1,405 | +2.59 |
| 413–424 | 417 | 64 | 342.50–367.00 | $358.76 | $1,496 | +10.33 |
| 456–484 | 470 | 109 | 322.50–341.00 | $331.24 | $1,557 | -5.81 |
| 503–536 | 518 | 85 | 301.00–333.00 | $322.50 | $1,671 | -1.10 |
| 552–576 | 563 | 30 | 289.00–310.00 | $298.95 | $1,683 | -22.55 |
| 614 | 614 | 16 | 268.00 | $268.00 | $1,646 | -50.93 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 361–385 | 377 | 25 | 330.00–340.00 | $336.12 | $1,267 | — |
| 443 | 443 | 15 | 318.00 | $318.00 | $1,409 | — |
| 458–478 | 472 | 25 | 302.50–310.00 | $308.84 | $1,458 | — |
| 537–541 | 538 | 36 | 289.00–296.00 | $290.81 | $1,565 | -11.69 |
| 593 | 593 | 17 | 271.00 | $271.00 | $1,607 | -4.00 |
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.
Compared to last week: steers 400 to 499 lbs mostly steady, 500 to 599 lbs 5.00 to 10.00 lower with instances up to 20.00 lower on 500 to 549 lbs. Heifers 450 to 549 lbs 4.00 to 5.00 lower. Moderate to good demand for a smaller offering this week which sold entirely in packages. A large difference in quality from last week which featured so many attractive quality calves, today was more of a "clean out" day featuring quite a few plainer cattle. Some attractive cattle on offer but it was hard to get a load of these together. Roughly a quarter of the calves were weaned, from 7 days and up, the rest came off the cow. Preconditioning varied with more calves without good shots or any shots than seen last week. A moderate to active market with a few less buyers and farmer feeders than last week in the seats. This is the last feeder cattle sale of 2024, next feeder cattle sale is January 9, 2025. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!