Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 4, 2023

7,969 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 $271.34/cwt -2.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,556/hd at 574 lb · 602 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $257.54/cwt -1.48 vs last sale · ≈ $1,600/hd at 621 lb · 560 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $288.34/cwt -6.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,524/hd at 529 lb · 516 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 7,969 12,865 10,422
Feeder cattle 7,969 12,865 10,422

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers under 650 lbs 2.00 to 5.00 lower, over 650 lbs 5.00 to 10.00 lower. Feeder heifers 2.00 to 7.00 lower. Demand was very uneven this week as the futures contracts were under extreme pressure again. Best demand remains for those light cattle to make yearlings of, as buyers of these cattle have more options to market them at different time periods compared to those bound for finishing yards. More weaned calves in the offering this week, these cattle are highly sought after if they are in light enough flesh condition. It's been tough to keep weaned cattle green as the lack of winter weather has made it very easy for calves to put on some flesh. Temps right up around 60 degrees, cooler this coming week but still above average.

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
337 337 16 331.00 $331.00 $1,115 -2.15
350–389 372 108 305.00–382.00 $352.62 $1,312 +23.15
401–445 428 241 290.00–344.75 $328.45 $1,406 +4.64
452–499 471 503 271.00–330.50 $307.25 $1,447 -3.98
485 fancy 485 6 305.00 $305.00 $1,479 -26.00
509–527 fancy 514 10 305.00–307.50 $306.73 $1,577 +1.37
524 524 5 278.00 $278.00 $1,457 -14.11
500–549 529 501 262.50–304.50 $288.08 $1,524 -4.03
556 fancy 556 46 293.00 $293.00 $1,629 —
550–598 575 556 249.00–289.00 $269.55 $1,550 -3.35
600–645 621 553 231.00–270.00 $257.77 $1,601 +10.77
641 641 7 239.00 $239.00 $1,532 -20.36
651–699 677 375 226.00–252.75 $244.40 $1,655 -11.00
701–740 714 155 220.00–246.00 $234.04 $1,671 -9.81
759–782 768 139 217.00–230.50 $225.98 $1,736 -5.40
870 870 64 182.50 $182.50 $1,588 -49.50
862–890 880 23 186.00–221.00 $199.25 $1,753 -32.75
948 948 62 189.50 $189.50 $1,796 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
321–327 324 10 310.00–321.00 $315.45 $1,022 —
384–394 388 17 277.00–331.00 $296.38 $1,150 -13.02
405–446 434 59 270.00–316.00 $290.45 $1,261 +7.76
462–499 482 46 247.50–261.00 $253.83 $1,223 -26.93
500–538 512 92 227.50–265.00 $248.62 $1,273 -13.73
569–598 586 67 229.00–245.00 $239.29 $1,402 -12.74
602–641 623 80 220.00–239.00 $233.03 $1,452 +5.03
696 696 8 217.00 $217.00 $1,510 -15.21
716 716 10 212.50 $212.50 $1,522 +10.00
764 764 11 205.00 $205.00 $1,566 —
886 886 23 194.50 $194.50 $1,723 -5.50
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1006 1006 60 196.00 $196.00 $1,972 +7.00
Medium 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
498 498 9 245.00 $245.00 $1,220 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
695 695 7 209.00 $209.00 $1,453 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
308–346 334 30 240.00–277.00 $251.01 $838 -46.30
357–392 376 23 280.00–294.00 $286.55 $1,077 +0.32
401–447 416 184 257.00–292.00 $279.65 $1,163 +9.56
422 thin fleshed 422 44 293.00 $293.00 $1,236 +1.21
452–497 476 372 249.00–285.00 $262.97 $1,252 -8.69
501–544 520 372 245.00–274.00 $259.02 $1,347 -1.43
531 531 15 243.50 $243.50 $1,293 -16.95
552–599 572 389 232.00–256.50 $247.62 $1,416 -0.91
600–648 622 379 217.00–235.00 $225.58 $1,403 -6.90
671–695 684 74 200.00–223.00 $214.61 $1,468 -2.69
694 694 15 191.00 $191.00 $1,326 -41.00
702–710 708 18 204.00–213.00 $206.48 $1,462 -13.90
798 798 70 178.75 $178.75 $1,426 —
818 818 35 205.50 $205.50 $1,681 -9.81
853 853 6 199.00 $199.00 $1,697 -10.16
918–940 929 12 193.50–200.00 $196.71 $1,827 -15.94
980 980 6 190.00 $190.00 $1,862 +2.51
1039 1039 7 178.50 $178.50 $1,855 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
339 339 31 275.00 $275.00 $932 —
362 362 5 230.00 $230.00 $833 —
408–439 416 65 230.00–257.00 $239.98 $998 -28.28
468–496 480 55 228.00–247.00 $233.83 $1,122 -23.17
512–544 524 53 224.00–235.00 $228.27 $1,196 -7.51
556–587 568 266 211.00–229.50 $222.11 $1,262 -6.28
611–647 633 39 205.00–211.00 $209.01 $1,323 -2.35
694 694 8 191.00 $191.00 $1,326 ±0.00

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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.