Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, March 20, 2023

7,037 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 steers $204.25/cwt -0.67 vs last sale · ≈ $1,483/hd at 726 lb · 547 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $211.55/cwt +7.60 vs last sale · ≈ $1,219/hd at 576 lb · 525 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $228.19/cwt +1.38 vs last sale · ≈ $1,440/hd at 631 lb · 464 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 7,037 10,718 7,696
Feeder cattle 7,037 10,718 7,696

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers generally 4.00 to 5.00 higher. Very good demand for steers and heifers this week as the weather moderated and allowed cattle producers to get their stock shipped to town where there were ample buyers on the seats ready to buy them. There were many replacement quality heifers offered and the market was very active as there is much optimism as the CME Feeder Cattle futures contracts are very attractive for the coming months. The market was very active on light fleshed, light weight steers and heifers that will run as yearlings on this summer's grass as the grazing outlook is more favorable than the last few years.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 2 285.00 $285.00 $898 +56.25
410–445 430 66 247.00–285.00 $261.60 $1,125 +11.85
451–498 474 131 237.50–269.00 $249.00 $1,180 -3.07
501–508 thin fleshed 504 28 255.50–257.00 $256.09 $1,291
504–549 532 267 221.00–255.00 $239.26 $1,273 -10.31
555–597 575 385 222.00–254.50 $239.05 $1,375 -5.18
601–649 631 464 211.00–238.00 $228.19 $1,440 +1.02
650–692 670 367 200.00–225.00 $217.79 $1,459 +10.75
725 725 8 192.00 $192.00 $1,392 -12.92
701–749 726 539 190.00–220.75 $204.43 $1,484 -0.49
751–799 772 233 179.00–198.50 $193.87 $1,497 +4.83
824 824 14 180.50 $180.50 $1,487 -5.41
809–849 826 140 180.50–196.50 $191.92 $1,585 +6.01
869 869 4 179.00 $179.00 $1,556 -2.72
951–961 954 28 172.00–175.00 $172.86 $1,649 -3.14
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
359–393 383 17 217.50–219.00 $217.91 $835 -3.09
414–429 425 29 234.00–235.00 $234.73 $998 +28.73
460–486 472 23 222.00–245.00 $234.36 $1,106 +23.61
543–547 545 10 215.00–217.50 $216.25 $1,179 -3.14
561–588 580 58 193.00–226.00 $213.71 $1,240 +21.71
636 636 17 201.00 $201.00 $1,278 +5.95
661 661 6 200.00 $200.00 $1,322
776–797 788 23 158.00–177.00 $168.86 $1,331
890 890 6 130.00 $130.00 $1,157

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 8 225.00 $225.00 $783 +61.00
372–394 380 53 225.00–231.00 $227.56 $865 +12.03
403–446 422 59 205.00–230.00 $222.72 $940 +1.53
452–496 474 319 213.00–238.00 $227.08 $1,076 +8.07
517–547 528 288 212.00–231.00 $223.07 $1,178 +15.07
551 fancy 551 31 218.00 $218.00 $1,201
551–598 578 494 194.00–222.50 $211.15 $1,220 +4.78
601–648 622 168 180.00–215.50 $201.14 $1,251 +3.15
653–692 666 391 181.50–205.00 $194.38 $1,295 +4.81
675–688 680 48 194.00–197.00 $195.80 $1,331 +6.23
706–741 710 74 179.00–197.50 $195.15 $1,386 +5.15
703–747 712 331 180.00–193.00 $188.43 $1,342 -1.57
769–774 770 76 162.00–177.00 $166.99 $1,286 -11.44
756–794 787 124 186.50–203.50 $199.02 $1,566 +20.59
806–844 818 43 162.00–165.00 $163.89 $1,341 -10.61
801–839 821 247 167.00–179.00 $175.32 $1,439 +0.82
857 857 15 177.00 $177.00 $1,517 +7.00
858 858 15 165.50 $165.50 $1,420 -4.50
924 924 21 164.50 $164.50 $1,520
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
458–494 480 20 198.00–208.00 $204.18 $980
599 599 11 181.00 $181.00 $1,084 -4.96
605–608 608 36 170.00–185.00 $172.49 $1,049 -6.91
699 699 5 170.00 $170.00 $1,188
746 746 14 150.00 $150.00 $1,119 -8.00
761–791 779 13 152.00–156.00 $154.50 $1,204

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
491 491 8 246.00 $246.00 $1,208
758 758 6 179.00 $179.00 $1,357

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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.