Cattle Market Pulse

Napoleon Livestock Auction Market Report

Napoleon, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 16, 2023

3,721 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $198.53/cwt -0.28 vs last sale · ≈ $1,257/hd at 633 lb · 490 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $219.16/cwt +13.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,173/hd at 535 lb · 359 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $205.97/cwt +8.77 vs last sale · ≈ $1,193/hd at 579 lb · 224 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,721 1,606 2,632
Feeder cattle 3,721 1,606 2,632

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week; Feeder steers 500-550lbs and 600-900lbs steady to 5.00 higher with instances up to 7.00 higher except 800-850lbs 5.00 lower. Feeder heifers 450-500lbs and 750-800lbs 3.00 to 6.00 higher, 500-550lbs and 600-650lbs 5.00 to 8.00 higher with instances up to 16.00 higher, 650-700lbs 3.00 to 4.00 lower. Good buyer demand with many full loads in today's offering. Flesh condition light to moderate.

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
348 348 12 220.00–237.50 $228.75 $796 —
359 359 6 235.00 $235.00 $844 —
404–435 417 31 238.00–262.00 $249.01 $1,038 +5.01
454–490 480 30 242.00–251.00 $248.19 $1,191 -7.99
505–540 523 124 232.50–257.50 $246.28 $1,288 +5.88
559–582 563 34 225.00–246.00 $242.17 $1,363 +0.61
607–627 616 205 214.00–237.00 $230.77 $1,422 +7.74
653–672 fancy 664 55 217.50–225.00 $220.45 $1,464 —
650–698 674 159 194.00–214.50 $200.22 $1,349 -12.50
719–727 721 133 203.50–213.00 $206.46 $1,489 -1.65
765–795 780 59 179.50–197.00 $191.63 $1,495 -1.42
806–833 822 155 193.00–195.50 $194.73 $1,601 -5.77
859–870 865 132 185.00–185.50 $185.21 $1,602 +3.77
932 932 65 183.00 $183.00 $1,706 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
473 473 6 218.00 $218.00 $1,031 -19.50
505–548 532 56 210.00–223.00 $219.39 $1,167 +14.39
618–641 627 22 196.00–211.00 $201.84 $1,266 +1.84
744 744 38 188.00 $188.00 $1,399 —
932 932 6 158.00 $158.00 $1,473 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
383 383 5 220.00 $220.00 $843 —
406–448 429 41 202.00–214.00 $210.51 $903 -24.49
451–485 473 179 214.00–233.00 $226.51 $1,071 +4.79
504–548 535 359 206.00–226.00 $219.16 $1,173 +13.99
554–599 579 224 194.00–213.00 $205.97 $1,193 +8.77
602 fancy 602 15 208.00 $208.00 $1,252 —
604–646 634 475 187.50–204.00 $198.23 $1,257 -0.58
671–692 679 180 188.75–189.50 $189.10 $1,284 -3.33
725–735 730 68 185.00–187.00 $185.93 $1,357 -6.07
750–754 750 56 171.00–182.00 $181.01 $1,358 +8.15
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
401–418 410 10 190.00–192.50 $191.28 $784 —
510 510 14 200.00 $200.00 $1,020 —
569–586 574 34 183.00–189.00 $185.96 $1,067 —

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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.