Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, February 20, 2023

9,303 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 heifers $194.79/cwt +7.09 vs last sale · ≈ $1,221/hd at 627 lb · 676 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $194.72/cwt -2.27 vs last sale · ≈ $1,412/hd at 725 lb · 604 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $177.09/cwt -5.52 vs last sale · ≈ $1,290/hd at 729 lb · 515 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 9,303 22,562 13,109
Feeder cattle 9,138 21,639 12,485
Slaughter cattle 165 923 624

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Few feeder cattle auctions this week as most of them were canceled due to the severe winter weather experienced over the region, too few cattle offered to make full comparisons but steady to firm undertones were noted. Widespread snow totals of a foot or more, along with 40-50 mph winds made for very difficult weather for livestock and their caretakers. Interstate highway systems were closed, as no travel was advised at midweek when the system blew in. Massive drifting of snow created much extra work as country roads were blocked and farm yards and feedyard pens needed to be cleaned out to. Much larger auction receipts expected in the coming week as livestock producers will be able to get their stock loaded and shipped to the auctions. Slaughter cows steady to 2.00 higher, bulls steady.

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
356 356 7 280.00 $280.00 $997 +29.02
403–443 422 39 230.00–242.50 $235.53 $994 -0.95
452–487 473 31 222.50–249.00 $236.05 $1,117 -1.58
500–545 523 169 231.00–245.00 $236.76 $1,238 +3.97
524 524 13 214.00 $214.00 $1,121 -18.79
553–597 566 227 212.00–236.00 $227.35 $1,287 +3.37
602–648 627 356 199.00–216.50 $207.44 $1,301 -5.32
650–696 673 503 199.00–215.00 $206.87 $1,392 +1.92
704–745 725 598 189.00–200.75 $194.94 $1,413 -2.56
746 746 6 173.00 $173.00 $1,291 -8.34
752–797 770 374 185.00–198.75 $192.08 $1,479 +0.26
805–841 822 386 171.00–191.50 $184.05 $1,513 +0.57
857–898 872 229 171.00–184.50 $180.33 $1,572 +0.73
902–934 922 300 166.00–181.00 $177.94 $1,641 +5.22
960–986 962 68 172.00–179.00 $172.42 $1,659 -2.76
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1042 1019 352 165.00–176.50 $168.97 $1,722 -3.74
1059 1059 11 164.50 $164.50 $1,742 -10.93
1109–1134 1125 281 163.00–166.00 $164.18 $1,847 -11.57
1215 1215 32 161.25 $161.25 $1,959 -0.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
387 387 10 244.00 $244.00 $944 —
438–446 442 20 215.00–220.00 $217.73 $962 -14.65
467–494 487 22 207.50–217.00 $211.77 $1,031 -4.03
532–544 537 9 209.00–227.00 $217.10 $1,166 +5.27
553–598 586 96 195.00–210.50 $203.54 $1,193 -0.85
613–644 634 120 188.00–198.00 $193.15 $1,225 -2.80
654–698 681 49 188.00–198.00 $194.34 $1,323 +2.82
706–729 724 115 181.00–188.00 $182.62 $1,322 -4.28
756–780 765 126 181.00–183.50 $182.57 $1,397 -1.75
802 802 10 177.00 $177.00 $1,420 +1.72
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
764 764 6 146.00 $146.00 $1,115 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
297 297 11 220.00 $220.00 $653 —
330 330 24 225.00 $225.00 $742 +1.62
373 373 13 226.00 $226.00 $843 +7.53
417–432 425 37 215.00–225.00 $220.91 $939 +7.19
450–499 483 147 201.00–223.00 $216.92 $1,048 +3.32
501–535 517 361 186.00–209.00 $201.47 $1,042 +27.47
555–599 576 247 189.00–203.00 $193.82 $1,116 -1.87
602–647 627 676 181.50–207.00 $194.79 $1,221 +6.53
666 666 7 172.00 $172.00 $1,146 -12.33
650–699 674 431 173.00–194.25 $186.08 $1,254 +1.75
697 697 21 196.00 $196.00 $1,366 +38.00
701–745 727 477 169.00–181.25 $176.54 $1,283 -15.90
748 fancy 748 38 184.00 $184.00 $1,376 —
752–790 770 281 168.50–177.50 $171.37 $1,320 +0.30
820 820 68 174.00 $174.00 $1,427 +4.31
803–847 826 168 162.50–175.00 $167.18 $1,381 -2.51
850–896 873 208 160.50–167.00 $165.38 $1,444 -0.34
945 945 10 157.00 $157.00 $1,484 -6.39
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
381 381 6 200.00 $200.00 $762 +0.42
421 421 8 205.00 $205.00 $863 +4.36
510–513 511 17 190.00–192.00 $190.59 $974 +6.24
558–591 575 33 176.00–187.00 $179.92 $1,035 -4.93
629–648 639 38 177.00–184.00 $180.30 $1,152 +3.87
656–695 679 136 173.00–179.00 $176.50 $1,198 +3.03
707–744 731 82 166.00–172.00 $169.89 $1,242 -0.23
840 840 17 162.75 $162.75 $1,367 —
949 949 6 145.00 $145.00 $1,376 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1026 1026 49 130.00 $130.00 $1,334 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
356 356 24 249.00 $249.00 $886 —
526 526 81 230.00 $230.00 $1,210 —
561 561 10 239.00 $239.00 $1,341 +23.00

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1268–1695 1532 75-80% 18 78.00–85.00 $82.83 $1,269 +2.88
1435–1750 1623 75-80% 36 86.00–94.00 $89.25 $1,449 —
1700 1700 75-80% 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,632 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175 1175 80-85% 2 86.00 $86.00 $1,010 —
1180–1620 1354 80-85% 38 77.00–85.00 $81.29 $1,101 +29.81
1298–1630 1406 80-85% 7 62.00–77.00 $70.12 $986 +1.75
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1090 1023 85-90% 3 25.00–46.00 $38.54 $394 +3.66
725–1440 1069 85-90% 11 54.00–66.00 $60.13 $643 —
1075–1690 1295 85-90% 26 66.00–74.00 $71.35 $924 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1535–1605 1570 2 79.00–87.00 $83.09 $1,305 —
1268–2270 1838 12 96.00–106.00 $102.25 $1,879 —
2160 2160 1 118.00 $118.00 $2,549 —

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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.