Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, July 19, 2021

10,389 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $155.48/cwt +7.97 vs last sale · ≈ $1,365/hd at 878 lb · 994 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $151.74/cwt +3.93 vs last sale · ≈ $1,397/hd at 921 lb · 970 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $160.58/cwt +11.61 vs last sale · ≈ $1,344/hd at 837 lb · 665 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 10,389 9,711 6,887
Feeder cattle 8,967 8,438 5,378
Slaughter cattle 1,422 1,273 1,509

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers steady to 5.00 higher, except 800-900 lbs 5.00 to 10.00 higher, heifers steady to 4.00 higher. Very good demand remains for feeder cattle, the CME Feeder Cattle futures posted gains over 4.00 for the week which helped to support the market. The CME Live Cattle contracts made gains as well, over 1.00, which also is helping to support the feeder market. Cash sales of fed cattle were lower this week, 121.00-125.00 in the north, but cattle feeders have their eyes fixed on the back months and are eager to have stock ready when that time comes. Severe drought conditions remain in the state and continues to push cattle off grass earlier than normal. As feed costs are so much higher this year cattle feeders are willing to give much more for green, thin fleshed cattle but there is still a lot of demand for those heavier fleshed cattle coming out of backgrounding yards. Slaughter cows and bulls steady to 1.00 lower.

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
550–588 570 23 174.50–181.00 $177.50 $1,012 -2.90
643 643 12 168.50 $168.50 $1,083 -4.50
659–686 669 96 161.00–171.00 $168.07 $1,124 -5.93
701–749 736 212 153.00–167.00 $160.55 $1,182 -4.41
750–779 767 587 154.50–166.00 $160.94 $1,234 +4.91
804–847 837 665 150.25–163.00 $160.58 $1,344 +11.61
874 874 35 144.50 $144.50 $1,263 -3.01
851–897 878 959 142.00–160.75 $155.88 $1,369 +8.37
905–938 920 935 141.75–157.50 $152.39 $1,402 +4.58
935 935 35 134.50 $134.50 $1,258 -13.31
971–992 977 22 132.00–134.00 $132.55 $1,295 -9.75
950–999 983 403 143.25–150.00 $148.50 $1,460 +6.20
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1007–1045 1022 558 125.50–149.10 $143.86 $1,470 +3.26
1058–1083 1066 211 128.00–136.60 $134.64 $1,435 -3.33
1200–1201 1200 38 125.75–126.75 $126.33 $1,516 -3.06
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1216–1396 1374 111 117.25–119.00 $117.77 $1,618 -6.23
1403 1403 8 116.75 $116.75 $1,638 —
1391–1428 1414 27 116.00–120.25 $117.55 $1,662 —
1369–1494 1460 378 116.00–121.50 $117.37 $1,714 -6.42
1508–1552 1523 213 117.00–120.50 $118.30 $1,802 -6.68
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
424 unweaned 424 9 175.50 $175.50 $744 —
436 436 14 166.00 $166.00 $724 —
466 466 4 142.00 $142.00 $662 -32.00
498 unweaned 498 15 166.50 $166.50 $829 —
589 589 15 157.00 $157.00 $925 -5.29
635 635 6 151.00 $151.00 $959 —
658–690 676 64 154.50–156.50 $155.22 $1,049 -2.71
683 683 13 138.00 $138.00 $943 -19.93
704–715 708 26 138.00–153.00 $140.32 $993 -14.68
776 776 14 150.00 $150.00 $1,164 +5.62
815–845 828 27 133.25–140.50 $137.87 $1,142 +3.63
930 930 4 134.00 $134.00 $1,246 -0.69
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1009–1016 1012 18 128.50–132.25 $130.17 $1,317 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
810 810 9 125.00 $125.00 $1,012 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
458–494 479 14 155.00–160.50 $158.24 $758 -10.88
514 514 6 156.00 $156.00 $802 -7.84
560 560 23 156.00 $156.00 $874 +0.81
600–648 615 375 147.50–168.60 $161.83 $995 +5.34
655–693 676 268 144.00–162.25 $156.68 $1,059 -0.18
702–730 714 296 158.50 $158.50 $1,132 +5.91
711–733 718 54 149.50–152.00 $151.04 $1,084 -1.55
761–799 785 304 135.00–149.25 $142.44 $1,118 -4.36
816–819 818 130 150.75 $150.75 $1,233 +9.97
804–849 826 346 131.50–148.00 $140.67 $1,162 -0.11
852–878 863 298 133.50–139.75 $137.61 $1,188 +0.61
870 870 12 129.50 $129.50 $1,127 -7.50
916–949 928 583 129.50–142.20 $139.68 $1,296 +3.91
950–972 956 137 126.50–136.10 $132.75 $1,269 +10.49
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1047 1038 33 123.00–128.00 $126.01 $1,308 -4.23
1051–1091 1072 336 120.25–128.50 $127.66 $1,369 +5.58
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373 373 3 178.00 $178.00 $664 —
404 404 5 161.00 $161.00 $650 —
500 500 6 158.00 $158.00 $790 —
552 552 13 149.00 $149.00 $822 -4.00
605–614 609 37 151.00–157.50 $154.19 $939 —
660–699 680 17 127.00–147.50 $134.16 $912 +1.75
702 702 10 123.50 $123.50 $867 -14.67
787 787 9 120.00 $120.00 $944 —
800–827 819 31 130.50–135.50 $133.02 $1,089 +2.50
855–881 873 10 118.00–126.00 $120.35 $1,051 -6.39
906 906 4 113.00 $113.00 $1,024 -11.50
995 995 28 114.00 $114.00 $1,134 -9.50
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200 1200 5 107.00 $107.00 $1,284 —
1238 1238 12 117.00 $117.00 $1,448 -1.50
1213–1361 1291 99 115.00–119.00 $116.68 $1,506 -7.62

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1241–1410 1276 75-80% 7 60.00–69.50 $66.56 $849 —
1170–1750 1499 75-80% 50 70.00–76.00 $72.89 $1,093 -0.78
1320–1722 1554 75-80% 21 77.00–80.00 $79.08 $1,229 +9.08
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
783–1443 1096 85-90% 34 40.00–56.00 $49.38 $541 -11.18
1195 1195 85-90% 3 63.50 $63.50 $759 —
930–1425 1208 85-90% 34 57.00–62.00 $59.68 $721 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1436–1838 1633 65-75% 49 80.00–87.00 $82.51 $1,347 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1655 1190 80-85% 9 50.00–62.00 $55.07 $655 —
1035–1755 1334 80-85% 22 62.00–68.00 $65.18 $870 -0.67
1185–1615 1376 80-85% 7 69.00–72.50 $70.59 $971 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1093–2340 1832 28 69.50–92.00 $86.68 $1,588 -8.60
1695–1938 1843 7 99.50–102.50 $100.56 $1,853 +5.28
1585–2383 1965 21 90.00–99.00 $94.23 $1,852 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1338–1488 1429 24 102.50–105.00 $103.80 $1,483 -3.15
1351–1595 1434 61 107.00–114.00 $108.61 $1,557 +1.66
1620 1620 8 119.50 $119.50 $1,936 —

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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.