Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, April 1, 2024

2,068 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 heifers $256.17/cwt +5.34 vs last sale · ≈ $1,880/hd at 734 lb · 242 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $285.19/cwt -2.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,744/hd at 612 lb · 189 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $293.06/cwt -3.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,673/hd at 571 lb · 124 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,068 5,542 7,114
Feeder cattle 2,068 5,542 7,114

Too few feeder cattle offered to make a good market comparison. Feeder cattle offerings were light this week, due to the seasonality of feeder cattle marketing and poor weather early in the week. Demand remains good for light cattle to run on this summers' grass, but the market is weaker now that the futures complex has rolled back substantially. Cash fed cattle market was lower as well, as the futures complex weighed too heavy on the market for it to maintain it's historically high prices.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
304–335 308 10 395.00–420.00 $399.70 $1,231
400–411 409 21 385.00–400.00 $387.09 $1,583 +10.81
453 fancy 453 10 385.00 $385.00 $1,744
460–497 491 54 345.00–370.00 $360.19 $1,769 +17.52
512–535 526 49 305.00–360.00 $333.81 $1,756 -7.67
556–583 572 59 315.00–337.50 $330.17 $1,889 -8.76
606–640 626 56 280.00–325.00 $298.47 $1,868 -14.58
651–692 657 104 277.50–307.50 $295.63 $1,942 -3.34
702–743 709 74 254.00–289.00 $270.32 $1,917 -6.21
753–789 776 39 245.00–265.00 $250.67 $1,945 -23.74
825–847 838 52 232.00–253.00 $245.33 $2,056 -11.85
855–867 859 60 230.00–245.00 $233.83 $2,009 -19.49
904–919 913 13 205.00–226.00 $218.00 $1,990 -18.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
427–428 428 6 330.00–340.00 $334.99 $1,434 -5.01
496 496 5 300.00 $300.00 $1,488 -15.14
505–538 525 5 285.00 $285.00 $1,496 -13.01
594 594 6 292.00 $292.00 $1,734 -8.55
647 647 26 260.00 $260.00 $1,682 -24.05
719–736 733 28 255.00–257.00 $255.35 $1,872

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
379–395 389 15 339.00–360.00 $347.19 $1,351 +14.63
434–444 439 23 325.00–341.00 $331.88 $1,457 -2.35
454–492 475 76 290.00–335.00 $317.50 $1,508 -1.73
501–549 530 42 271.00–298.00 $281.51 $1,492 -31.06
551–598 571 124 277.50–304.00 $293.06 $1,673 -3.40
601 fancy 601 84 294.00 $294.00 $1,767 +7.00
604–645 620 105 265.50–288.00 $278.14 $1,724 -9.35
660–669 665 12 262.00–264.00 $262.83 $1,748 -6.96
652–680 671 78 255.00–271.00 $266.43 $1,788 -14.10
715–735 729 124 238.50–260.00 $255.54 $1,863 +5.05
708–743 739 118 253.00–263.00 $256.83 $1,898 +6.34
752–755 754 76 239.00–253.00 $250.25 $1,887 +10.31
809–820 812 96 246.00–246.75 $246.54 $2,002 +20.54
807–828 823 20 224.00–229.00 $227.77 $1,875 +1.77
853–896 882 25 202.50–214.00 $210.12 $1,853
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
398 398 5 325.00 $325.00 $1,294 +52.50
643 643 11 259.50 $259.50 $1,669 +1.04
668–695 686 36 237.00–240.00 $239.03 $1,640 -3.47
733 733 8 236.00 $236.00 $1,730
770 770 24 222.00 $222.00 $1,709 -1.18

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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.