Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, March 15, 2021

4,351 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $144.35/cwt +1.91 vs last sale · ≈ $907/hd at 628 lb · 419 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $133.94/cwt +3.73 vs last sale · ≈ $974/hd at 727 lb · 382 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $142.09/cwt -2.64 vs last sale · ≈ $1,044/hd at 735 lb · 311 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,351 12,558 1,848
Feeder cattle 4,351 12,558 1,848

Compared to last week: Feeder steers steady to 4.00 higher, except 700-750 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower. Feeder heifers under 550 lbs 4.00 to 5.00 lower, over 550 lbs 2.00 to 6.00 higher. Moderate to good demand for feeder cattle this week, much lighter offerings. Best demand remains for light fleshed cattle to go to grass with, demand more moderate for heavier weight cattle as the supply of that class is much greater. An uneven trade in the cattle futures complex, yet cattle feeders still hoping for a good spring rally in the cash fed cattle market.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
353 353 2 211.00 $211.00 $745 +23.81
413 413 2 200.00 $200.00 $826 +8.99
456–498 477 57 175.50–203.50 $188.37 $899 -0.46
505–544 521 85 165.00–182.00 $175.47 $914 -0.37
553–586 575 129 158.00–175.50 $167.32 $962 +4.39
602–647 614 151 149.00–167.00 $160.29 $984 +1.39
651–697 674 303 145.00–154.75 $149.68 $1,009 +2.10
704–745 735 311 132.00–147.00 $142.09 $1,044 -2.64
752–792 776 77 135.50–144.00 $139.36 $1,081 +2.70
846–848 847 45 132.00–135.50 $134.71 $1,141 +0.01
868–881 875 91 132.50–136.00 $134.06 $1,173 +2.73
903–913 905 19 127.00 $127.00 $1,149 -3.29
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
478 478 8 169.00 $169.00 $808 +6.56
504 504 6 153.00 $153.00 $771
595 595 27 152.00 $152.00 $904 +4.00
674 674 7 137.00 $137.00 $923 -2.46
862 862 8 120.00 $120.00 $1,034

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
341 341 19 162.00 $162.00 $552
378–387 382 23 166.00–168.00 $166.95 $638 -0.05
426–444 434 19 159.00–165.00 $160.29 $696 +0.05
454–498 475 98 149.00–159.00 $155.26 $737 -4.08
505–548 531 167 140.00–156.50 $147.99 $786 -5.79
552–589 573 138 139.50–153.00 $149.65 $857 +5.74
602–645 628 419 139.00–148.00 $144.35 $907 +1.90
651–699 670 309 131.00–145.75 $140.87 $944 +3.09
704–748 727 382 124.00–142.50 $133.94 $974 +4.20
753–799 774 203 124.00–134.00 $130.45 $1,010 -12.61
805–847 825 207 123.50–128.50 $126.46 $1,043 +5.22
863–891 878 148 121.00–125.00 $124.14 $1,090 -12.90
919 919 73 124.00 $124.00 $1,140 ±0.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
672–698 684 17 125.00–128.50 $126.68 $866
837 837 5 115.50 $115.50 $967
857–897 883 17 110.00–111.00 $110.66 $977

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
756 756 6 123.00 $123.00 $930

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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.