South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, October 12, 2020

37,529 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $160.32/cwt ≈ $913/hd at 569 lb · 3,158 head

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $157.76/cwt ≈ $980/hd at 621 lb · 2,589 head

light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $163.95/cwt ≈ $864/hd at 527 lb · 2,535 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	37,529	21,820	34,354
Feeder cattle	35,408	—	32,255
Slaughter cattle	2,121	—	2,099

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Much larger offering of steer and heifer calves this week, a fair comparison could not be made. Yearling feeder steers mostly steady except 800-900 lbs 2.00 to 3.00 lower, yearling feeder heifers unevenly steady. Moderate to good demand for calves, good demand remains for yearlings especially for those that ran on grass this summer. This was the first large calf offering of the fall marketing season, farmer feeders are progressing quickly with their corn harvest and many are ready to receive calves in their yards. Calves that have received their full compliment of fall preconditioning shots are much easier to sell as the demand for these calves is much greater than those that only have had a spring shot. The weather has begun to fluctuate and yards are dry and dusty which makes cattle very susceptible to respiratory illness. As financial losses were so great last year few cattle feeders are willing to take on any extra risk buying calves that could suffer a viral respiratory outbreak. Cattle feeders still want to buy yearlings while they can, but with the CME Live Cattle contracts rolling back about 3.00 this week, they approached the market with much more caution. CME Corn futures contracts have climbed up to 4.00, increasing projected cost of gain, making cattle feeders look at fleshy yearlings with more skepticism. Cash fed cattle sales rolled back to 105.00-108.00 which also put pressure on the yearling market. Slaughter cows 2.00 to 5.00 higher, bulls 2.00 higher.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
290	290	11	206.00	$206.00	$597
331	331	6	170.00	$170.00	$563
302–348	333	114	165.00–206.50	$197.17	$657
350–399	376	704	163.00–211.00	$195.89	$737
392–394	393	40	169.00–177.00	$174.61	$686
400–449	434	1,041	162.00–197.00	$181.99	$790
450 thin fleshed	450	24	189.00	$189.00	$850
458	458	16	161.00	$161.00	$737
451–499	477	1,926	154.00–187.00	$173.01	$825
500–547	527	2,494	146.00–175.00	$164.06	$865
515–540	530	41	155.00–158.50	$157.17	$833
550–599	569	3,060	142.50–168.00	$160.24	$912
582 thin fleshed	582	98	162.75	$162.75	$947
600–648	621	2,589	143.00–165.00	$157.76	$980
652–699	671	831	140.00–161.00	$154.91	$1,039
652–690	672	13	133.00–138.00	$135.24	$909
708–747	723	41	130.00–140.00	$136.86	$989
700–742	724	479	131.50–157.00	$151.35	$1,096
756 value added	756	21	151.25	$151.25	$1,143
751–799	772	424	138.60–155.00	$147.43	$1,138
783	783	28	139.00	$139.00	$1,088
796	796	8	142.00	$142.00	$1,130
826 value added	826	22	146.25	$146.25	$1,208
802–849	829	713	138.50–148.00	$143.05	$1,186
854–898	877	1,314	133.00–147.75	$141.77	$1,243
900–945	926	1,340	133.25–145.50	$138.83	$1,286
978	978	12	129.00	$129.00	$1,262
959–999	980	769	133.25–143.00	$138.28	$1,355
1005	1005	14	131.00	$131.00	$1,317

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1243–1417	1353	152	104.00–114.00	$108.24	$1,464
1442–1493	1472	330	104.25–105.25	$104.71	$1,541
1494	1494	12	103.00	$103.00	$1,539
1500–1572	1535	214	104.00–105.50	$104.49	$1,604
1585–1670	1615	401	102.00–104.00	$103.07	$1,665

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
300–349	321	41	155.00–185.00	$174.22	$559
371–373	372	17	160.00–162.00	$160.82	$598
411–447	443	102	150.00–167.00	$164.03	$727
451–498	486	146	147.00–161.00	$155.02	$753
502–549	531	98	143.00–154.00	$149.95	$796
572–590	584	19	141.00–147.00	$145.15	$848
600–641	635	35	150.00–155.50	$154.76	$983
669–675	673	25	139.50–140.00	$139.66	$940
695 thin fleshed	695	62	155.10	$155.10	$1,078
748	748	28	144.25	$144.25	$1,079
792–796	795	47	137.50–142.50	$141.06	$1,121
804–836	825	30	136.50–140.50	$139.20	$1,148
868–899	878	52	125.25–134.50	$131.18	$1,152
932	932	9	113.00	$113.00	$1,053

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
491	491	7	160.00	$160.00	$786
519	519	28	155.00	$155.00	$804
629	629	8	146.00	$146.00	$918
672–693	674	65	136.00–140.75	$140.30	$946
1000–1044	1013	368	129.25–139.10	$135.13	$1,369
1198	1198	28	111.00	$111.00	$1,330
1356	1356	12	105.25	$105.25	$1,427

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
478	478	9	132.00	$132.00	$631
521–541	528	14	130.00–133.00	$131.90	$696
580	580	5	126.00	$126.00	$731
846	846	8	127.00	$127.00	$1,074

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
667	667	9	129.00	$129.00	$860
1059	1059	7	122.00	$122.00	$1,292
1217	1217	5	100.00	$100.00	$1,217

Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
618	618	16	137.00	$137.00	$847

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
257	257	28	163.00	$163.00	$419
319–345	338	122	152.00–170.00	$166.24	$562
353–399	378	284	141.00–181.00	$163.65	$619
374–395	381	57	154.00–159.00	$157.36	$600
400–449	429	1,178	142.00–173.00	$155.46	$667
450–499	479	1,330	140.00–159.00	$151.55	$726
481–498	490	289	161.00–175.00	$168.05	$823
514	514	103	168.00	$168.00	$864
500–549	528	1,706	138.00–157.75	$146.23	$772
555–580	559	119	157.00–168.50	$166.59	$931
550–599	570	636	132.50–154.00	$142.36	$811
590	590	12	131.00	$131.00	$773
604–646	622	399	133.00–147.00	$139.95	$870
643	643	6	129.00	$129.00	$829
650–697	676	513	133.50–144.00	$139.99	$946
675–694	691	61	124.00–133.00	$131.56	$909
706–749	727	521	132.50–144.00	$140.07	$1,018
741	741	48	139.50	$139.50	$1,034
751–799	774	902	132.50–146.00	$141.05	$1,092
806–838	825	939	130.00–141.00	$136.77	$1,128
851–898	867	1,481	128.00–143.75	$136.64	$1,185
900–943	920	857	126.50–135.00	$132.87	$1,222
934	934	29	123.00	$123.00	$1,149
956	956	9	101.50	$101.50	$970
951–996	978	618	126.00–135.00	$131.96	$1,291

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
499	499	5	139.00	$139.00	$694
1003–1049	1011	412	116.50–130.00	$127.77	$1,292
1033	1033	7	116.00	$116.00	$1,198
1051–1082	1058	176	111.00–123.00	$118.88	$1,258
1115–1149	1134	33	115.00–121.00	$117.24	$1,330
1194	1194	34	106.00	$106.00	$1,266

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1237–1263	1250	120	105.00–107.50	$106.83	$1,335
1352–1400	1377	27	102.50–102.75	$102.62	$1,413
1307–1458	1393	260	103.00–105.25	$104.13	$1,451

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
309–332	324	36	149.00–161.00	$155.70	$504
406–446	433	29	141.00–146.50	$142.79	$618
453–491	475	38	132.50–139.50	$135.31	$643
518	518	4	139.00	$139.00	$720
559–584	576	60	142.00–148.00	$144.31	$831
618–648	623	45	130.00–135.00	$131.67	$820
655	655	6	140.50	$140.50	$920
705	705	4	120.00	$120.00	$846
762–796	779	14	119.00–123.00	$120.96	$942
808–849	816	52	115.00–130.00	$124.30	$1,014
929	929	24	110.00	$110.00	$1,022
963	963	22	100.00	$100.00	$963

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
463	463	17	126.00	$126.00	$583
631	631	8	113.00	$113.00	$713

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
410	410	10	153.00	$153.00	$627
505	505	22	146.00	$146.00	$737

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Slaughter Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1510–1855	1687	65-75%	40	72.00–78.00	$75.60	$1,275

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
938–1398	1182	85-90%	8	25.00–34.00	$28.08	$332
965–1450	1241	85-90%	9	42.00–49.00	$46.72	$580
850–1495	1282	85-90%	16	50.00–59.00	$53.68	$688

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1471	1471	75-80%	5	71.00	$71.00	$1,044
1240–1805	1499	75-80%	22	59.00–70.00	$63.92	$958
1673–1730	1702	75-80%	4	57.00–58.00	$57.49	$978

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1155–1560	1329	80-85%	19	55.50–60.00	$57.15	$760
1195–1560	1391	80-85%	11	50.00–55.00	$51.73	$720

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1500–2125	1756	8	79.00–85.50	$81.87	$1,438

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd
1275	1275	4	83.00	$83.00	$1,058
1285–1728	1423	77	91.00–95.50	$93.13	$1,325

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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.