Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock · usually sells Mondays

Sale of Monday, October 12, 2026

5,644 head sold ·Official USDA report · Price history in the app

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $437.28/cwt +14.89 vs last sale · ≈ $2,506/hd at 573 lb · 705 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $507.12/cwt +17.27 vs last sale · ≈ $2,421/hd at 477 lb · 506 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $456.54/cwt -13.32 vs last sale · ≈ $2,447/hd at 536 lb · 505 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,644 2,714 4,372
Feeder cattle 5,644 2,714 4,372

Market comments — USDA reporter

Steer calves 10.00 to 20.00 higher, except 450-550 lbs unevenly steady. Heifer calves 10.00 to 15.00 higher, except 400-450 lbs steady. Very good demand for this offering of very attractive, ranch raised steer and heifer calves. Many long strings, including full loads, and plenty of smaller bunches that allowed buyers to make plenty of full loads of. The market was very active as more cattle feeders are ready to take calves, and yearling operators are wanting to get these good light calves bought while they are available. Flesh condition was light and attractive, especially so on cattle coming out of the worst of the drought areas. The CME Live and Feeder Cattle futures made good gains, while corn continues to cheapen, helping to add a little more support to the feeder cattle market this week.

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
295 295 4 602.50 $602.50 $1,777 —
311–329 322 17 545.00–595.00 $564.91 $1,819 —
361 thin fleshed 361 26 611.00 $611.00 $2,206 —
398 398 4 527.50 $527.50 $2,099 -69.03
407 thin fleshed 407 20 587.00 $587.00 $2,389 —
408–446 429 225 515.00–562.50 $545.28 $2,339 +29.92
452 thin fleshed 452 64 541.50 $541.50 $2,448 —
457–495 481 442 477.50–519.00 $502.14 $2,415 +12.29
505–549 536 505 441.00–487.50 $456.54 $2,447 -13.32
552–593 573 705 411.00–468.00 $437.28 $2,506 +14.89
607–641 626 269 401.00–417.00 $409.73 $2,565 +6.23
668–696 684 170 371.00–401.00 $380.69 $2,604 -4.81
708–715 713 121 391.00–403.50 $394.08 $2,810 +24.08
770–789 785 30 357.00–394.50 $379.60 $2,980 +14.90
808 808 9 360.00 $360.00 $2,909 —
853–870 868 147 332.50–353.00 $352.18 $3,057 +6.59
924–929 926 26 322.50–331.00 $325.13 $3,011 —
961–968 965 228 329.50 $329.50 $3,180 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
283 283 6 530.00 $530.00 $1,500 —
458–496 478 13 450.00–455.00 $452.79 $2,164 —
892 892 6 322.00 $322.00 $2,872 —
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
357 357 5 430.00 $430.00 $1,535 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
279 279 8 525.00 $525.00 $1,465 —
334–345 341 60 480.00–537.50 $521.98 $1,780 +13.84
352–399 384 70 405.00–505.00 $465.17 $1,786 -31.83
400–441 427 204 410.00–487.50 $468.12 $1,999 -9.00
451–491 469 307 410.00–470.00 $447.67 $2,100 +6.10
500–547 532 311 362.00–431.00 $400.50 $2,131 -10.95
556–598 581 113 357.00–397.00 $375.26 $2,180 -7.51
626–632 630 58 349.00–359.00 $352.77 $2,222 —
650–669 658 56 350.00–357.50 $354.37 $2,332 —
784 784 6 327.00 $327.00 $2,564 —
819–834 822 47 317.00–332.00 $326.79 $2,686 +10.79
926–946 935 32 293.00–301.00 $298.85 $2,794 +9.97
993–994 994 14 270.00–286.00 $280.29 $2,786 -3.33
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1006–1037 1024 53 267.00–283.50 $277.99 $2,847 +2.04
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
254 254 4 480.00 $480.00 $1,219 —
357 357 8 450.00 $450.00 $1,606 —
446 446 5 340.00 $340.00 $1,516 -92.65
505 505 13 325.00 $325.00 $1,641 -53.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790 790 11 307.50 $307.50 $2,429 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
322 thin fleshed 322 10 610.00 $610.00 $1,964 —

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Price trend

high 494.62 low 389.08 Oct 2025 Oct 2026

600–649 lb Medium and Large 1 steers — head-weighted average $/cwt by sale date, last 12 months.

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.

← Previous sale (Oct 5, 2026)