Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 16, 2024

10,446 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 $331.57/cwt -3.51 vs last sale · ≈ $1,907/hd at 575 lb · 1,044 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $354.62/cwt -4.38 vs last sale · ≈ $1,848/hd at 521 lb · 687 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $292.75/cwt +3.02 vs last sale · ≈ $1,983/hd at 677 lb · 620 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 10,446 11,190 8,762
Feeder cattle 10,446 11,190 8,762

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Steer calves under 500 lbs 10.00 to 15.00 lower, 500-650 lbs 3.00 to 4.00 lower, over 650 lbs 3.00 to 7.00 higher. Heifer calves 8.00 to 10.00 lower, except 450-500 lbs steady to 4.00 higher. Good demand for steer and heifer calves, but the market wasn't as active after the sharp rise last week.

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
309–348 340 43 445.00–490.00 $470.24 $1,599 +16.55
351–399 376 101 405.00–465.00 $426.28 $1,603 -22.82
403 fancy 403 2 415.00 $415.00 $1,672 —
403–449 428 338 362.50–422.50 $406.41 $1,739 -14.99
460–499 479 405 337.00–390.00 $365.71 $1,752 -11.13
500–545 521 687 330.00–371.00 $354.62 $1,848 -4.38
553–599 575 1,044 310.00–343.00 $331.57 $1,907 -3.51
601–646 626 439 290.00–323.50 $311.92 $1,953 -1.32
650–699 677 613 274.00–311.00 $293.30 $1,986 +3.57
699 699 7 245.00 $245.00 $1,713 -44.73
700–749 721 573 273.00–292.25 $285.63 $2,059 +7.42
755–780 765 92 275.00–278.00 $276.28 $2,114 -7.71
808–849 831 82 240.50–269.50 $261.42 $2,172 +13.22
856–862 859 10 244.00–249.00 $246.49 $2,117 -17.51
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
272 272 17 420.00 $420.00 $1,142 —
386 386 16 395.00 $395.00 $1,525 -1.67
406–446 430 78 312.50–377.50 $359.77 $1,547 -20.88
466–492 469 118 290.00–360.00 $321.80 $1,509 -24.63
504–541 531 93 310.00–339.00 $328.16 $1,743 -5.12
551–584 573 44 282.50–311.00 $295.09 $1,691 -18.78
618–646 629 56 277.50–287.00 $282.48 $1,777 -0.86
685 685 6 265.00 $265.00 $1,815 —
720 720 12 251.00 $251.00 $1,807 —
815–836 821 23 230.00–232.50 $230.66 $1,894 -1.17
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035 1035 14 231.00 $231.00 $2,391 —
1120 1120 17 224.00 $224.00 $2,509 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
250 250 26 445.00 $445.00 $1,112 —
312–349 331 24 365.00–400.00 $389.57 $1,289 +10.29
362–390 375 84 360.00–390.00 $372.93 $1,398 +5.81
400 fancy 400 1 370.00 $370.00 $1,480 —
401–448 435 342 320.00–357.00 $334.41 $1,455 -9.24
450–498 474 485 300.00–335.00 $320.36 $1,519 -0.97
502–544 533 584 300.00–330.00 $314.82 $1,678 +3.92
551 fancy 551 19 318.50 $318.50 $1,755 -9.50
550–598 573 357 272.50–310.00 $293.82 $1,684 -12.21
603–644 618 264 272.00–288.00 $281.99 $1,743 -8.00
652–696 674 287 250.00–279.00 $267.13 $1,800 -2.07
714 714 6 250.00 $250.00 $1,785 -2.02
750–798 762 63 230.00–254.00 $242.61 $1,849 —
826 826 5 244.50 $244.50 $2,020 +10.33
850 850 5 212.50 $212.50 $1,806 -19.74
856–890 881 19 227.50–249.00 $243.50 $2,145 +23.50
932 932 27 238.00 $238.00 $2,218 +5.00
995 995 17 231.50 $231.50 $2,303 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 14 340.00 $340.00 $1,183 —
376–384 378 45 320.00–335.00 $323.73 $1,224 —
448 448 19 295.00–317.00 $311.21 $1,394 +6.21
489–496 494 23 300.00–307.50 $305.24 $1,508 —
507–545 528 124 277.50–301.00 $288.14 $1,521 +0.45
564 564 10 268.00 $268.00 $1,512 -1.56
601–633 616 42 227.50–300.00 $246.37 $1,518 -22.83
675 675 13 230.00 $230.00 $1,552 —
805 805 6 224.00 $224.00 $1,803 -24.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1018–1046 1028 32 225.00–226.00 $225.68 $2,320 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
514 514 13 325.00 $325.00 $1,670 +6.95
610–638 627 50 270.00–285.00 $277.25 $1,738 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
546 546 9 282.50 $282.50 $1,542 —

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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.