Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 17, 2021

1,950 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 $130.14/cwt -1.72 vs last sale · ≈ $945/hd at 726 lb · 208 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $128.30/cwt -0.18 vs last sale · ≈ $1,191/hd at 928 lb · 137 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $133.00/cwt +4.60 vs last sale · ≈ $1,177/hd at 885 lb · 131 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,950 3,966 3,172
Feeder cattle 1,950 3,966 3,172

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Only 1 reported auction this week, too few feeder cattle offered to make a meaningful price comparison. Good demand for light fleshed steers and heifers bound for finishing yards. Cash fed cattle market hovers around 120.00 in spite of boxed beef prices at 325.00, this tough fat cattle market and high cost of gain is keeping much pressure on the feeder cattle market. Drought breaking rains are still desperately needed across the state, without relief soon cattle producers will start hauling in cow/calf pairs to the auction markets.

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
430 430 3 167.00 $167.00 $718 -3.59
485–494 489 16 157.00–159.50 $158.11 $773 -31.94
523 523 5 172.50 $172.50 $902 +6.31
574 574 30 157.00 $157.00 $901 -11.74
629–649 634 40 149.50–155.50 $154.12 $977 -4.38
661–673 671 63 150.00–152.00 $151.72 $1,018 -0.94
730 730 22 145.00 $145.00 $1,058 +0.67
772 772 12 136.50 $136.50 $1,054 -8.67
814 814 8 135.00 $135.00 $1,099 -0.54
873–897 885 131 133.00 $133.00 $1,177 +4.60
911–948 928 137 124.00–130.25 $128.30 $1,191 -0.18
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1007–1043 1010 60 120.00–122.50 $122.28 $1,235 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
663 663 8 115.00 $115.00 $762 -23.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
428–439 437 9 142.00–150.00 $143.74 $628 -10.70
482 482 6 142.00 $142.00 $684 -3.17
502–535 523 42 140.00–155.00 $148.67 $778 -1.51
573–580 579 37 140.00–146.00 $145.20 $841 +0.04
613–635 615 48 141.00–143.00 $142.78 $878 +2.43
655–697 674 72 138.00–143.00 $140.82 $949 +8.77
704–738 725 195 121.50–131.75 $130.78 $948 -1.08
742 742 13 120.50 $120.50 $894 -11.36
766–786 774 51 129.50–130.50 $129.92 $1,006 +2.53
810–830 820 21 123.50–124.50 $123.97 $1,017 -5.67
864 864 66 123.50 $123.50 $1,067 —
914 914 7 117.50 $117.50 $1,074 +0.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
671 671 6 110.00 $110.00 $738 -14.00

↑ Back to top

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.