Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, April 19, 2021

5,371 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $132.08/cwt -3.08 vs last sale · ≈ $968/hd at 733 lb · 393 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $127.56/cwt -3.09 vs last sale · ≈ $971/hd at 761 lb · 287 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $150.40/cwt +1.59 vs last sale · ≈ $857/hd at 570 lb · 282 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,371 5,851 5,668
Feeder cattle 5,371 5,851 5,668

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 5.00 to 10.00 lower, instances to 12.00 lower. Feeder heifers 2.00 to 5.00 lower, instances to 8.00 lower under 550 lbs. Demand only moderate as the cattle futures plummet and corn rises higher. The drought is front and center on every producers mind, heifers held back as replacements continue to be offered at the auctions and much less demand from in state yearling operators. Cash fed cattle traded lower which added more pressure to the feeder 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
365 365 2 188.00 $188.00 $686 -5.19
422–430 427 21 170.00–183.00 $176.05 $752 -21.70
466–498 479 59 173.00–190.50 $180.95 $867 -9.84
511–535 530 50 162.00–176.00 $167.09 $886 -12.09
554–599 578 98 153.00–176.00 $164.35 $950 -6.65
604–646 626 51 153.00–161.00 $156.26 $978 -11.85
650–698 684 172 141.00–150.00 $145.58 $996 -12.51
700–748 722 93 139.00–146.75 $144.05 $1,040 -6.69
750–794 776 125 133.00–140.50 $138.77 $1,077 -10.51
813–844 826 209 131.50–136.25 $132.95 $1,098 -5.78
897 897 19 125.00 $125.00 $1,121
907–948 925 45 120.00–126.00 $123.67 $1,144 -5.76
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
517–541 526 50 157.50–166.00 $162.89 $857
583–586 584 14 142.00–160.00 $152.26 $889 -6.74

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
333 333 6 162.00 $162.00 $539
373 373 19 156.00 $156.00 $582 -11.50
413–425 417 46 150.00–156.00 $152.96 $638
457–487 476 68 142.50–161.00 $152.90 $728 +4.88
503–548 520 158 146.00–159.00 $152.25 $792 -8.52
551–597 570 282 139.00–161.00 $150.40 $857 +1.59
600–642 627 231 136.50–151.00 $146.45 $918 -3.13
651–696 674 190 127.00–147.00 $134.77 $908 -4.18
711–745 733 393 125.50–137.00 $132.08 $968 -3.08
750–798 761 287 121.00–132.25 $127.56 $971 -8.25
802–847 822 197 117.00–123.00 $121.42 $998 -5.45
852–859 854 31 115.50–119.75 $118.39 $1,011 -5.49
909–939 916 126 115.00–121.25 $118.88 $1,089 -1.73
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
334 334 7 144.00 $144.00 $481
544–547 546 24 133.00–150.00 $138.65 $757 -7.88
554–599 574 56 130.00–145.00 $141.03 $810
603–641 626 15 134.50–135.50 $135.11 $846 +2.76
731–736 735 18 119.00–121.00 $120.45 $885
785–791 789 13 102.00–116.00 $110.64 $873 -4.36
825 825 5 100.00 $100.00 $825

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
824 824 9 119.50 $119.50 $985 +3.00

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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.