Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, March 29, 2021

2,887 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $152.81/cwt +2.85 vs last sale · ≈ $1,035/hd at 677 lb · 326 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $133.01/cwt +1.56 vs last sale · ≈ $1,218/hd at 916 lb · 247 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $130.56/cwt -0.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,033/hd at 791 lb · 235 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,887 8,391 3,336
Feeder cattle 2,887 8,391 3,336

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers steady to 4.00 higher. Moderate to good demand this week for this much lighter offering of feeder cattle, best demand remains for those light cattle to background as fewer of that class of cattle exist currently. Corn futures made a large jump this week which put some pressure on the feeder cattle market. Spring turn out time is nearing however without good spring moisture there will not be much of a grazing season as winter snows were only a fraction of what normally would be received. Spring rains have not come yet and are desperately needed. High winds this week made it difficult to get cattle hauled to town and resulted in a much lighter 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
378 378 5 217.00 $217.00 $820 —
442–448 445 12 169.00–196.00 $182.41 $812 -12.31
454–469 462 26 164.00–198.50 $188.62 $871 +19.22
533–546 536 20 174.00–178.50 $177.35 $951 -1.46
557–594 578 83 155.00–170.50 $159.67 $923 -9.72
658–694 677 326 142.00–160.50 $152.81 $1,035 +2.85
706–744 729 112 143.50–154.50 $150.97 $1,101 +4.61
754–795 776 165 137.00–147.00 $143.13 $1,111 +1.52
808–841 818 69 126.00–141.00 $137.47 $1,125 +0.12
904–932 916 247 120.00–133.50 $133.01 $1,218 +1.56
965 965 4 119.50 $119.50 $1,153 -9.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
494 494 6 172.00 $172.00 $850 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
398 398 11 164.00 $164.00 $653 +10.18
478–492 488 66 156.00–164.00 $162.19 $791 +6.26
500–548 522 78 146.00–161.00 $156.84 $819 +4.63
558–590 569 62 144.50–154.50 $151.25 $861 +2.13
615–646 632 159 141.00–151.75 $146.79 $928 +0.48
657–697 670 102 128.00–141.50 $138.65 $929 +0.05
725–736 728 26 130.50–133.00 $131.18 $955 -10.35
704–743 729 135 126.50–133.50 $129.67 $945 -11.86
768–797 791 235 124.00–131.50 $130.56 $1,033 -5.43
801–842 805 138 124.00–131.50 $128.49 $1,034 -0.87
882–883 882 36 118.50–120.00 $119.04 $1,050 -7.96
915 915 65 125.00 $125.00 $1,144 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
592 592 23 133.00 $133.00 $787 —
762 762 5 105.00 $105.00 $800 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1114–1115 1114 20 108.50–110.50 $109.60 $1,221 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
713 713 6 135.00 $135.00 $963 —

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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.