Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 21, 2020

1,835 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $153.52/cwt -6.87 vs last sale · ≈ $967/hd at 630 lb · 206 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $142.63/cwt -4.92 vs last sale · ≈ $823/hd at 577 lb · 119 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $143.70/cwt -11.45 vs last sale · ≈ $769/hd at 535 lb · 105 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,835 32,188 4,581
Feeder cattle 1,835 30,797 4,581
Slaughter cattle — 1,391 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Only 1 reported feeder cattle auction this week, due to the Christmas holiday, receipts far too limited to allow a price comparison to be made.

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
344 344 19 211.00 $211.00 $726 +9.91
395 395 7 197.00 $197.00 $778 -4.49
433–434 433 36 190.00–198.00 $196.44 $851 +3.00
487–496 491 60 172.50–178.00 $174.82 $858 +2.82
503–544 529 93 161.50–173.50 $166.94 $883 +11.39
552–584 578 100 153.00–162.00 $160.77 $929 -7.01
583 583 5 148.00 $148.00 $863 -19.78
610–649 630 206 150.00–159.00 $153.52 $967 -7.58
696 696 16 139.00 $139.00 $967 -3.53
793 793 75 143.50 $143.50 $1,138 +9.02
846 846 69 143.50 $143.50 $1,214 +5.04
927 927 36 131.00 $131.00 $1,214 -10.59
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
413–444 432 18 178.00–179.50 $178.56 $771 +1.88
571 571 8 139.50 $139.50 $797 -10.45
760 760 27 126.00 $126.00 $958 -5.50

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
376 376 4 160.00 $160.00 $602 -8.20
414–445 426 66 160.50–164.50 $161.25 $687 -3.60
475–478 476 65 152.00–152.50 $152.16 $724 -9.90
525 525 14 136.50 $136.50 $717 -18.75
515–548 537 91 140.00–149.00 $144.81 $778 +4.81
558–591 577 119 134.00–144.25 $142.63 $823 -4.83
628–636 629 47 130.00–137.00 $135.80 $854 -6.67
758 758 10 122.00 $122.00 $925 -12.13
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
536 536 6 132.00 $132.00 $708 -5.79

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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.