Cattle Market Pulse

Napoleon Livestock Auction Market Report

Napoleon, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 17, 2020

3,380 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $165.06/cwt +6.53 vs last sale · ≈ $951/hd at 576 lb · 307 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $168.93/cwt -4.61 vs last sale · ≈ $885/hd at 524 lb · 256 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $147.63/cwt +12.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,153/hd at 781 lb · 225 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,380 4,116 2,793
Feeder cattle 3,380 4,116 2,793

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week; Feeder steers 450-850lbs 4.00 to 8.00 higher with instances up to 14.00 higher except 500-550lbs which were steady to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers 400lbs and higher steady to 5.00 higher with instances up to 11.00 higher. Good buyer demand on full loads. Flesh condition light to moderate. Next report January 7th, 2021.

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
326–348 339 10 185.00–187.00 $185.77 $630 —
367–393 381 20 187.00–203.00 $191.97 $731 -3.95
424–446 442 134 189.00–202.00 $198.29 $876 +5.23
455–488 468 47 176.00–192.00 $180.66 $845 +3.96
503–543 524 256 165.00–179.00 $168.93 $885 -4.61
551–595 576 307 159.50–173.50 $165.06 $951 +9.76
602–648 621 223 145.00–160.00 $156.11 $969 +11.19
653–680 665 154 144.00–159.00 $150.83 $1,003 +7.13
710–749 719 153 137.00–149.00 $142.85 $1,027 +1.27
760–796 781 225 137.50–150.50 $147.63 $1,153 +12.40
825–844 842 83 136.00–138.75 $138.37 $1,165 +6.65
858–886 868 110 138.50–147.00 $141.65 $1,230 +7.60
909 909 8 136.00 $136.00 $1,236 +3.88
973 973 12 132.50 $132.50 $1,289 +2.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
406–436 424 21 174.00 $174.00 $738 —
513–549 539 42 159.00–161.00 $159.91 $862 +4.41
563 563 12 150.00 $150.00 $844 +16.00
643 643 6 123.00 $123.00 $791 -13.00
687 687 11 143.00 $143.00 $982 +8.93
798 798 8 135.00 $135.00 $1,077 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 3 173.00 $173.00 $588 +5.00
363 363 4 165.00 $165.00 $599 -1.00
407–447 437 78 151.00–162.50 $155.10 $678 +1.01
455–498 477 79 144.50–153.00 $146.68 $700 -0.23
500–546 523 207 139.00–152.50 $145.48 $761 +8.13
560–599 579 93 136.00–144.50 $139.87 $810 -1.08
602–642 625 17 122.50–135.00 $129.87 $812 -2.52
662–689 667 85 131.25–137.50 $132.40 $883 +7.78
714–749 738 41 124.50–130.25 $128.77 $950 +5.01
780–794 791 170 121.50–126.00 $125.27 $991 -0.48
829 829 29 126.25 $126.25 $1,047 —
890–895 892 45 118.00–119.75 $118.66 $1,058 -0.04
926 926 71 128.25 $128.25 $1,188 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
341 341 11 156.00 $156.00 $532 —
593 593 22 127.00 $127.00 $753 -2.35
652–697 683 19 116.00–121.00 $119.49 $816 +2.49
764 764 6 111.00 $111.00 $848 —

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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.