Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 28, 2023

974 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $254.31/cwt +13.46 vs last sale · ≈ $2,126/hd at 836 lb · 78 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $236.81/cwt +6.31 vs last sale · ≈ $2,155/hd at 910 lb · 66 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $246.23/cwt +20.23 vs last sale · ≈ $1,928/hd at 783 lb · 59 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 974 572 1,417
Feeder cattle 974 572 1,417

Market comments — USDA reporter

Only 1 reported auction this week as the late summer marketing season begins. Very good demand for this light offering of yearlings, much larger receipts expected in the coming weeks as cattle producers begin to market their yearlings. Cash fat cattle markets, in the 180s, has really helped to support the feeder cattle market as cattle feeders are anxious to own these good, thin fleshed North Dakota yearlings as they come right off grass.

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
415 415 5 285.00 $285.00 $1,183 -11.27
463–485 472 10 280.00–293.00 $287.65 $1,358 -9.85
605 605 6 271.00 $271.00 $1,640 +13.08
744 744 5 265.00 $265.00 $1,972 —
771 771 14 262.00 $262.00 $2,020 +17.69
804–847 836 78 250.00–258.50 $254.31 $2,126 +13.46
892 892 6 242.00 $242.00 $2,159 —
909–922 910 66 236.50–241.50 $236.81 $2,155 +6.31
980 980 58 245.75 $245.75 $2,408 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 10 247.50 $247.50 $1,361 —
638 638 4 242.00 $242.00 $1,544 —
888 888 7 200.00 $200.00 $1,776 —
949 949 6 211.00 $211.00 $2,002 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
379 379 8 255.00 $255.00 $966 -15.24
425 425 5 254.00 $254.00 $1,080 —
453–482 464 8 246.00–250.00 $248.44 $1,153 -19.78
515–527 519 17 250.00–255.00 $253.21 $1,314 -27.65
660–678 675 14 254.00–257.00 $254.42 $1,717 +29.83
708–746 735 16 240.00–249.00 $246.25 $1,810 +13.25
770–793 783 59 242.50–251.00 $246.23 $1,928 +20.23
810–848 814 41 239.50–243.50 $240.69 $1,959 +27.69
879 879 20 235.50 $235.50 $2,070 —
925 925 13 229.50 $229.50 $2,123 —
983–996 986 38 209.75–213.00 $212.14 $2,092 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
234 234 4 450.00 $450.00 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
584 584 4 229.00 $229.00 $1,337 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 9 304.00 $304.00 $1,061 —
423 423 6 285.00 $285.00 $1,206 —

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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.