Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 23, 2023

3,338 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $278.25/cwt -10.28 vs last sale · ≈ $1,597/hd at 574 lb · 440 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $253.29/cwt -7.35 vs last sale · ≈ $1,330/hd at 525 lb · 422 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $267.93/cwt -12.99 vs last sale · ≈ $1,691/hd at 631 lb · 286 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,338 9,247 7,759
Feeder cattle 3,338 9,247 7,759

Compared to last week: Steer calves 10.00 to 15.00 lower, heifers 6.00 to 10.00 lower with instances to 20.00 lower. Demand was much lighter this week after the implosion of the the cattle futures complex early in the week, losses moderated to only 5.00 to 7.00 for Feeder Cattle futures but the damage was done to the optimistic mindset of cattle producers. A winter storm at midweek caused auction cancellations and greatly reduced receipts at the auctions that did host a sale. Cattle feeders managed to sell fat cattle up to 186.00 this week in spite of the futures contracts falling. Much larger auction receipts expected now that there is snow on the ground and winter seems to have arrived.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
275 275 5 347.50 $347.50 $956
316–340 319 32 297.50–322.50 $312.78 $998 -22.58
380–397 393 50 307.50–327.00 $321.68 $1,264 -33.65
401–434 419 25 277.50–331.00 $313.47 $1,313 -18.35
454–499 477 150 275.00–319.00 $298.80 $1,425 -11.61
510–543 530 210 269.00–295.00 $285.49 $1,513 -13.75
554–596 574 440 258.00–288.00 $278.25 $1,597 -4.91
603–644 631 286 241.00–282.50 $267.93 $1,691 -12.99
651–693 663 81 244.00–272.50 $256.85 $1,703 -15.92
710–727 718 30 240.50–251.00 $245.83 $1,765 -2.02
762 762 18 243.00 $243.00 $1,852 +9.27
805–836 813 44 233.00–244.50 $240.82 $1,958 +0.52
886–889 888 14 212.50–217.50 $215.00 $1,909 -19.50
903–940 909 33 228.00–234.50 $233.48 $2,122 +2.72
990–994 993 8 208.00–214.00 $210.24 $2,088 -15.02
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 6 280.00 $280.00 $1,210 +1.00
478 478 5 231.00 $231.00 $1,104 -31.41
515–548 536 14 260.00–265.00 $261.72 $1,403 +0.78
604–633 619 23 220.00–229.00 $222.94 $1,380 -8.06
671–699 683 12 225.00–235.00 $229.27 $1,566 -18.73
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1032 1032 12 206.00 $206.00 $2,126 -25.08

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
326–348 339 42 238.00–298.00 $275.88 $935 -18.86
365–390 379 22 246.00–291.00 $275.52 $1,044 -17.43
401–430 421 104 265.00–295.00 $278.77 $1,174 +5.46
450–496 475 113 237.50–280.00 $258.19 $1,226 -5.75
502–548 525 422 235.00–267.00 $253.29 $1,330 -7.35
553–591 571 128 233.00–249.00 $236.34 $1,350 -31.17
602–631 616 164 219.00–242.50 $232.59 $1,433 -21.17
659–685 673 44 220.00–244.00 $232.07 $1,562 -3.27
710–723 719 27 225.00–240.00 $234.47 $1,686 +0.02
757–791 778 45 222.00–232.00 $227.69 $1,771 -7.08
826–841 829 75 222.50–227.00 $226.09 $1,874 -2.31
869–890 881 25 212.50–230.00 $225.24 $1,984 +20.24
905–933 927 11 220.00–222.00 $221.09 $2,050 -5.82
961–968 964 22 211.00–218.00 $215.12 $2,074 -5.51
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420–438 427 20 200.00–225.00 $214.75 $917 -44.53
519–544 530 39 210.00–227.50 $220.00 $1,166 -11.22
562 562 6 220.00 $220.00 $1,236
660 660 6 221.00 $221.00 $1,459
731 731 9 200.00 $200.00 $1,462
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1033 1033 8 182.50 $182.50 $1,885 -33.56
1099 1099 5 187.50 $187.50 $2,061

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
477 477 10 260.00 $260.00 $1,240
526 526 9 225.00 $225.00 $1,184
594 594 6 210.00 $210.00 $1,247
636 636 6 212.50 $212.50 $1,352

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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.