Cattle Market Pulse

North Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, May 4, 2026

6,171 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $373.13/cwt +0.63 vs last sale · ≈ $3,228/hd at 865 lb · 654 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $407.03/cwt +13.24 vs last sale · ≈ $3,150/hd at 774 lb · 453 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $431.75/cwt +23.89 vs last sale · ≈ $3,178/hd at 736 lb · 448 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 6,171 1,212 507
Feeder cattle 6,171 1,212 507

Compared to last week: Feeder steers sold with higher undertones. Very good demand for all weights and classes of steers and heifers. The market was very active as cash fed cattle reached 260.00 this week, creating even more optimism in the marketplace.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
422 422 9 585.00 $585.00 $2,469 +10.00
471 471 22 560.00 $560.00 $2,638 -22.73
500–534 525 92 502.50–555.00 $537.12 $2,820 +22.97
558–595 584 93 480.00–502.00 $494.99 $2,891 +4.24
600–635 608 207 455.00–500.00 $494.62 $3,007 +45.03
652–696 672 411 420.00–472.50 $450.85 $3,030 +10.77
725–748 736 448 394.00–444.00 $431.75 $3,178 +23.89
761–798 774 453 382.50–419.00 $407.03 $3,150 +13.24
803–841 816 232 370.00–400.00 $391.12 $3,192 —
852–890 865 654 349.00–380.50 $373.13 $3,228 +0.63
905–935 920 318 345.50–370.00 $353.54 $3,253 —
962–998 967 71 335.00–343.75 $342.60 $3,313 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520–530 526 22 489.00–495.00 $492.84 $2,592 —
598 598 6 471.00 $471.00 $2,817 —
648 648 10 441.00 $441.00 $2,858 —
690 690 26 406.00 $406.00 $2,801 —
712–747 733 40 388.00–396.00 $391.11 $2,867 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
478–481 479 22 545.00–550.00 $547.28 $2,621 +63.32
514–549 538 118 435.00–510.00 $491.53 $2,644 +41.53
551–589 569 83 435.00–476.00 $457.09 $2,601 -14.78
601–649 624 321 402.00–450.00 $419.69 $2,619 +20.14
650–684 666 241 382.50–422.50 $396.72 $2,642 -18.88
705–749 735 241 354.00–381.00 $369.37 $2,715 +4.37
751–799 763 352 347.00–371.00 $362.78 $2,768 —
769 769 50 397.00 $397.00 $3,053 —
824 824 4 340.00 $340.00 $2,802 —
800–847 827 68 357.00–409.00 $378.45 $3,130 —
852 852 12 336.00 $336.00 $2,863 —
924 924 51 370.00 $370.00 $3,419 —
925–936 933 20 322.00–330.00 $324.38 $3,026 —
963 963 6 310.00 $310.00 $2,985 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 8 460.00 $460.00 $1,987 —
536–538 537 25 425.00–455.00 $438.23 $2,353 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
492 492 11 525.00 $525.00 $2,583 —
636 636 36 445.00 $445.00 $2,830 —
680 680 5 325.00 $325.00 $2,210 —
772 772 10 320.00 $320.00 $2,470 —
813 813 5 355.00 $355.00 $2,886 —

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Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835 835 6 260.00 $260.00 $2,171 —

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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.