Cattle Market North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary
North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Monday, May 3, 20211,257 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 1,257 | 2,877 | 1,625 |
| Feeder cattle | 1,257 | 2,877 | 1,625 |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Feeder Steers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1017–1025 | 1022 | 207 | 118.75 | $118.75 | $1,214 | -1.25 |
| 1052 | 1052 | 9 | 112.00 | $112.00 | $1,178 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 472 | 472 | 5 | 178.00 | $178.00 | $840 | -3.40 |
| 520 | 520 | 7 | 170.00 | $170.00 | $884 | -9.09 |
| 555–595 | 578 | 12 | 154.00–166.00 | $158.80 | $918 | -1.74 |
| 685–699 | 687 | 25 | 137.00–144.00 | $142.86 | $981 | -1.49 |
| 827–845 | 838 | 18 | 121.00–126.50 | $124.02 | $1,039 | -9.98 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 574 | 574 | 5 | 124.00 | $124.00 | $712 | — |
| 765 | 765 | 29 | 116.00 | $116.00 | $887 | — |
| 927 | 927 | 6 | 111.50 | $111.50 | $1,034 | — |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 470 | 470 | 4 | 150.00 | $150.00 | $705 | +4.65 |
| 503–536 | 525 | 41 | 135.00–147.00 | $140.48 | $738 | -3.25 |
| 598 | 598 | 16 | 137.00 | $137.00 | $819 | +4.76 |
| 626 | 626 | 13 | 135.50 | $135.50 | $848 | -5.13 |
| 652 | 652 | 12 | 127.00 | $127.00 | $828 | -4.80 |
| 713–723 | 717 | 9 | 125.00 | $125.00 | $896 | -5.23 |
| 759 | 759 | 15 | 119.00 | $119.00 | $903 | -6.39 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1059 | 1059 | 50 | 105.00 | $105.00 | $1,112 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 438 | 438 | 7 | 134.00 | $134.00 | $587 | — |
| 503 | 503 | 5 | 131.00 | $131.00 | $659 | +8.82 |
Feeder Bulls
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 836 | 836 | 21 | 119.00 | $119.00 | $995 | — |
| 968 | 968 | 6 | 91.00 | $91.00 | $881 | — |
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.
Compared to last week: Too few feeder cattle on offer to make a meaningful price comparison. Demand moderate as cattle feeders continue to reel from a weak price structure in the Live Cattle futures and a skyrocketing corn market. Cattle producers are anxiously awaiting any moisture they can get in order to have a grazing, haying, or even a crop growing season. The entire state is in a drought condition, much of it in an extreme condition. The feeder cattle market is under a great amount of pressure due to the corn market and the death grip hold the packers have on the cash fed cattle market as they squeeze all of the profit from the industry.