Cattle Market Pulse

Napoleon Livestock Auction Market Report

Napoleon, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 19, 2024

2,938 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $329.83/cwt -4.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,893/hd at 574 lb · 345 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $362.60/cwt -6.86 vs last sale · ≈ $1,740/hd at 480 lb · 295 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $319.93/cwt -3.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,494/hd at 467 lb · 226 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,938 4,120 2,350
Feeder cattle 2,938 4,120 2,350

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week; Feeder steers 450-550lbs 13.00 to 17.00 lower, 550-600lbs and 650-700lbs 6.00 to 8.00 lower, 600-650lbs and 700-750lbs steady to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers 400-450lbs and 500-550lbs steady with instances of sharply higher, 450-500lbs, 550-600lbs and 650-700lbs 10.00 to 12.00 lower with instances up to 17.00 lower. Good buyer demand. Flesh condition light to moderate. Next report January 2, 2025.

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 6 445.00 $445.00 $1,549 —
351–376 365 33 415.00–440.00 $427.85 $1,562 -5.66
403 fancy 403 2 415.00 $415.00 $1,672 —
420–449 443 19 362.50–375.00 $365.00 $1,617 -52.34
460–496 480 295 350.00–375.00 $362.60 $1,740 -6.86
505–545 524 148 330.00–357.50 $347.76 $1,822 -8.07
553–596 574 345 310.00–342.00 $329.83 $1,893 -4.66
601–646 624 145 292.00–323.50 $306.33 $1,911 -7.56
650–690 674 106 274.00–297.00 $285.41 $1,924 -6.72
701–741 724 190 281.50–292.25 $284.74 $2,062 +3.58
767–780 779 37 275.00–278.00 $275.24 $2,144 -14.47
815–849 845 33 267.50–269.50 $269.27 $2,275 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
386 386 16 395.00 $395.00 $1,525 —
466–492 469 62 332.50–337.50 $336.91 $1,580 —
523 523 6 310.00 $310.00 $1,621 -24.07
570–578 575 13 287.50–297.50 $291.31 $1,675 -20.70
621–646 625 29 282.00–285.00 $282.53 $1,766 +2.53
825 825 6 232.50 $232.50 $1,918 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
312–349 327 12 365.00–390.00 $378.90 $1,239 +5.14
362–366 363 27 375.00–390.00 $377.22 $1,369 +16.52
400 fancy 400 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,480 —
432–447 437 91 320.00–350.00 $335.01 $1,464 -5.53
450–497 467 226 300.00–328.00 $319.93 $1,494 -3.57
522–544 536 184 300.00–320.00 $308.89 $1,656 -0.63
551 fancy 551 19 318.50 $318.50 $1,755 -9.50
565–594 577 49 272.50–295.00 $283.08 $1,633 -30.96
606–634 620 36 272.00–285.00 $278.61 $1,727 -0.85
684–694 693 74 255.00–262.50 $259.97 $1,802 -12.41
714 714 6 250.00 $250.00 $1,785 +3.94
750–774 756 33 235.00–245.00 $242.52 $1,833 —
856 856 5 227.50 $227.50 $1,947 +1.50
932 932 27 238.00 $238.00 $2,218 —
995 995 17 231.50 $231.50 $2,303 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 14 340.00 $340.00 $1,183 —
376–384 378 45 320.00–335.00 $323.73 $1,224 —
545 545 20 277.50 $277.50 $1,512 —
601 601 7 240.00 $240.00 $1,442 —
675 675 13 230.00 $230.00 $1,552 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1023–1046 1034 21 225.00–226.00 $225.52 $2,332 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
514 514 13 325.00 $325.00 $1,670 +6.95
610–631 617 19 282.50–285.00 $283.31 $1,748 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
546 546 9 282.50 $282.50 $1,542 —

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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.