Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 19, 2020

7,329 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $147.06/cwt -3.66 vs last sale · ≈ $841/hd at 572 lb · 781 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $128.56/cwt -4.02 vs last sale · ≈ $739/hd at 575 lb · 734 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $139.34/cwt -8.97 vs last sale · ≈ $863/hd at 619 lb · 669 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 7,329 6,291 9,319
Feeder cattle 7,329 6,291 9,319

Compared to last week: Steer calves under 600 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower, over 600 lbs 7.00 to 10.00 lower. Heifer calves 5.00 to 10.00 lower, instances to 14.00 lower. Yearling feeder steers and heifers not well compared but lower undertones were evident. Light to moderate demand for calves this week, moderate to good for yearlings. A large winter storm moved through the region midweek which curtailed calf consignments. As the weather was poor, making it difficult to haul livestock as well, calf buyers showed less interest this week in buying calves. Lower CME cattle futures contracts putting great pressure on the feeder market. Rising price of corn is also adding to cattle feeders concern causing them to refigure breakevens with a higher cost of gain.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310–345 329 9 153.00–184.00 $165.96 $546 -1.04
378–396 383 31 165.00–169.00 $166.07 $636 -13.93
409–446 433 79 151.50–162.25 $159.21 $689 -3.03
456–499 479 225 149.00–169.50 $159.35 $763 -1.81
501–547 518 329 141.00–159.75 $151.60 $785 -2.34
550–594 572 781 126.00–155.00 $147.06 $841 -3.81
600–640 619 669 132.50–143.35 $139.34 $863 -9.32
651–697 670 388 130.50–144.25 $137.94 $924 -11.24
701–740 715 412 130.00–138.75 $135.49 $969 -10.57
755–782 770 56 126.50–139.50 $133.01 $1,024 -5.24
804–845 829 95 125.50–140.50 $136.18 $1,129 -10.75
861–870 867 22 132.50–135.75 $134.72 $1,168 -6.28
904–939 916 323 132.50–137.25 $136.54 $1,251 -1.45
964–996 980 514 127.50–133.50 $133.09 $1,304 +0.59
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 8 143.00 $143.00 $515
438 438 6 122.00 $122.00 $534
453–489 475 32 133.00–151.00 $139.00 $660
509–547 531 44 122.50–141.50 $135.39 $719
580–593 586 166 119.00–139.50 $134.17 $786 -0.80
621 621 6 118.00 $118.00 $733
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1046 1046 9 123.00 $123.00 $1,287 -6.46
1057–1059 1058 21 122.50–124.50 $123.45 $1,306 +4.45

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 5 139.00 $139.00 $485 +4.00
376–387 379 36 132.00–145.00 $138.37 $524 -19.16
416–448 438 105 128.00–142.00 $137.26 $601 -8.38
453–496 477 191 129.00–145.00 $134.23 $640 -14.16
500–549 528 320 130.00–146.75 $135.57 $716 -2.20
565 fancy 565 69 138.75 $138.75 $784
552–599 576 665 119.00–136.00 $127.50 $734 -5.08
604–643 619 317 121.50–128.00 $125.75 $778 -8.01
651–694 670 138 120.50–135.00 $127.60 $855 -5.96
716 unweaned 716 7 117.75 $117.75 $843
711–725 718 48 125.00–135.00 $130.63 $938 -8.40
787–798 792 111 129.75–134.50 $132.00 $1,045 -4.49
817–849 826 30 125.00–132.00 $130.12 $1,075 +2.20
886 886 7 124.00 $124.00 $1,099 -10.99
949 949 7 120.00 $120.00 $1,139 -7.52
950–994 979 30 121.75–124.50 $122.69 $1,201 -1.98
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353 353 5 119.00 $119.00 $420
411–449 418 35 119.00–124.00 $120.98 $506
466–494 478 67 110.00–128.50 $124.16 $593 -17.34
553 553 8 115.00 $115.00 $636
663–694 671 41 115.00–118.00 $117.17 $786
923 923 5 110.00 $110.00 $1,015
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
994 994 8 122.75 $122.75 $1,220
1034 1034 9 119.50 $119.50 $1,236 -3.50
1072 1072 7 115.50 $115.50 $1,238 -5.97
1109–1111 1110 13 117.50–118.00 $117.81 $1,308 -1.69

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
575 575 10 136.50 $136.50 $785

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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.