Cattle Market Pulse

Napoleon Livestock Auction Market Report

Napoleon, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 12, 2024

4,120 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $355.83/cwt +5.80 vs last sale · ≈ $1,854/hd at 521 lb · 442 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $323.50/cwt -0.21 vs last sale · ≈ $1,550/hd at 479 lb · 380 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $313.89/cwt +5.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,981/hd at 631 lb · 305 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,120 4,033 2,350
Feeder cattle 4,120 4,033 2,350

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week; Feeder steers 400-450lbs, 500-550lbs and 700-750lbs 8.00 to 13.00 higher, 450-500lbs sharply higher, 650-700lbs steady with instances up to 9.00 lower, 550-650lbs 3.00 to 4.00 higher. Feeder heifers 450-550lbs 2.00 to 3.00 higher, 400-450lbs and 550-700lbs 7.00 to 9.00 higher with instances up to 17.00 higher. Good buyer demand. Flesh condition light to moderate. Many full loads in today's 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
308 308 28 410.00 $410.00 $1,263 +3.45
353–369 360 38 415.00–455.00 $433.51 $1,561 +4.36
403–440 421 252 397.50–430.00 $417.34 $1,757 +13.01
456–493 478 117 357.50–392.50 $369.46 $1,766 +9.46
503–540 521 442 343.00–375.00 $355.83 $1,854 +5.80
553–599 571 249 317.50–350.00 $334.49 $1,910 +1.95
608–649 631 305 295.00–323.00 $313.89 $1,981 +5.57
666–692 684 237 277.50–303.00 $292.13 $1,998 +3.82
701–738 729 80 270.00–292.50 $281.16 $2,050 +2.58
756–783 764 106 274.00–292.00 $289.71 $2,213 +5.71
861 861 37 264.00 $264.00 $2,273 +28.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 16 385.00 $385.00 $1,348 —
401–442 434 29 385.00–387.50 $387.02 $1,680 —
518–549 537 65 332.00–336.00 $334.07 $1,794 —
564–599 584 12 310.00–315.00 $312.01 $1,822 +3.01
638 638 5 280.00 $280.00 $1,786 -7.50

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
327–349 334 18 367.50–385.50 $373.76 $1,248 +23.76
353–378 362 20 350.00–385.00 $360.70 $1,306 +20.38
400–443 434 141 325.00–350.00 $340.54 $1,478 +13.17
451–497 479 380 310.00–340.00 $323.50 $1,550 -0.21
502–545 519 120 290.00–320.00 $309.52 $1,606 +2.89
564 fancy 564 22 328.00 $328.00 $1,850 +9.00
551–584 571 174 306.00–322.00 $314.04 $1,793 +20.56
604–633 627 41 270.00–282.00 $279.46 $1,752 +1.97
644 fancy 644 13 305.00 $305.00 $1,964 —
662–699 690 88 262.50–279.50 $272.38 $1,879 +7.61
701–715 702 25 246.00–247.50 $246.06 $1,727 -16.44
830 830 12 230.00 $230.00 $1,909 —
854 854 11 226.00 $226.00 $1,930 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
417 417 12 305.00 $305.00 $1,272 +5.00
551–583 565 18 283.00–285.00 $284.08 $1,605 +16.58
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1072 1072 9 228.00 $228.00 $2,444 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
457 457 5 380.00 $380.00 $1,737 —
539–549 548 53 305.00–320.00 $318.05 $1,743 +0.55

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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.