Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 2, 2022

4,239 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 steers $193.88/cwt -3.11 vs last sale · ≈ $1,231/hd at 635 lb · 512 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $178.81/cwt +9.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,321/hd at 739 lb · 466 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $175.55/cwt +2.47 vs last sale · ≈ $1,019/hd at 580 lb · 389 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,239 1,586 1,257
Feeder cattle 4,239 1,586 1,257

Only 1 reported auction a week ago, too few to make a meaningful comparison with this week's much larger run. Very good demand for light cattle suitable for grazing as turnout time is very near as the grass is starting to green and now has the moisture to grow. The fall months of the Feeder Cattle futures are much higher than the current month and yearling operators are willing to chase the market to have the cattle they need to turn out. The cash fed cattle market has positive basis over the futures, which is helping to keep cattle feeders in a positive mindset.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
408–426 420 14 187.50–217.00 $197.75 $831 -29.34
455–494 478 46 190.00–218.00 $204.80 $979 -23.25
500–543 520 58 189.00–210.50 $207.68 $1,080 +11.86
564–584 574 216 196.00–217.00 $211.78 $1,216 -0.01
593 593 12 197.00 $197.00 $1,168 -14.79
619–647 635 512 182.00–197.50 $193.88 $1,231 -3.11
664–699 675 106 164.00–182.00 $175.77 $1,186 +0.16
678 678 140 185.00 $185.00 $1,254 +9.39
704–749 739 466 164.00–179.75 $178.81 $1,321 +9.15
750–799 778 188 150.00–169.00 $158.87 $1,236 -9.38
802 802 28 155.25 $155.25 $1,245 +4.36
861–876 868 28 144.50–155.00 $150.08 $1,303
908–942 935 78 144.00–150.75 $149.32 $1,396 +6.07
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
426 426 7 203.00 $203.00 $865
454–476 468 25 161.00–206.00 $190.29 $891
535 535 5 190.00 $190.00 $1,016
566 566 16 188.00 $188.00 $1,064
608–647 625 14 170.00–172.00 $171.11 $1,069 -4.89
657–691 671 12 155.00–162.00 $159.00 $1,067
856–898 874 12 128.00–138.50 $132.50 $1,158
920 920 9 140.00 $140.00 $1,288

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
416–447 435 16 180.00–186.00 $183.85 $800 +13.85
498–499 498 22 165.00–167.00 $165.46 $824 -9.54
501–549 511 124 160.00–180.00 $173.68 $888 -7.16
568 568 107 184.50 $184.50 $1,048 +11.42
551–599 585 282 164.00–182.50 $172.16 $1,007 -0.92
605–645 631 142 151.00–165.00 $161.36 $1,018 +0.86
666 666 98 174.00 $174.00 $1,159 +15.82
653–694 675 142 148.00–164.00 $158.86 $1,072 +0.68
700–748 735 153 145.00–161.50 $150.37 $1,105 +2.17
707–745 738 71 156.00–164.00 $162.60 $1,200 +14.40
752–791 771 134 137.50–155.00 $143.91 $1,110 +0.41
791 791 23 159.00 $159.00 $1,258 +15.50
805–846 816 198 145.00–159.00 $151.39 $1,235 +15.89
836 836 5 134.50 $134.50 $1,124 -1.00
855 855 5 142.50 $142.50 $1,218
863 863 21 155.00 $155.00 $1,338
947 947 8 132.00 $132.00 $1,250
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
391 391 11 161.00 $161.00 $630
414–446 430 18 171.00 $171.00 $735
476 476 15 147.50 $147.50 $702 +2.50
572 572 21 150.50 $150.50 $861 -4.50
617–631 626 13 140.00–146.00 $143.72 $900
681–685 683 15 135.50–139.00 $136.90 $935 -3.10
827 827 9 127.50 $127.50 $1,054

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
601 601 9 179.00 $179.00 $1,076
692 692 6 153.00 $153.00 $1,059
889 889 4 129.00 $129.00 $1,147

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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.