Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 21, 2023

8,623 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 $250.60/cwt +3.14 vs last sale · ≈ $2,195/hd at 876 lb · 1,826 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $246.42/cwt -0.96 vs last sale · ≈ $2,271/hd at 922 lb · 1,351 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $254.73/cwt +3.17 vs last sale · ≈ $2,122/hd at 833 lb · 863 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 8,623 11,727 15,785
Feeder cattle 8,517 9,919 13,644
Slaughter cattle 106 1,808 2,141

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers steady to 3.00 higher, heifers mostly steady. Very good demand for yearling steers and heifers, especially those right off grass as their flesh condition is light and very desirable. The extremely hot and humid weather did result in fewer cattle coming to auction as cattle were under great stress as the heat index was well over 100 degrees. Cash fed cattle were lower this week as cattle feeders were more willing to accept a lower bid from packers as the risk of death loss due to the heat was very high. Cooler weather over the weekend, into the start of the week but high 90s and near 100 are set to return by the weekend. Slaughter cows 4.00 to 5.00 lower in a narrow comparision, bulls not well tested.

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
445 445 14 321.00 $321.00 $1,428 —
521–540 533 18 303.00–307.00 $305.48 $1,628 +35.48
559–568 565 85 294.00–310.00 $301.99 $1,706 +10.15
639 639 15 287.00 $287.00 $1,834 -6.98
651–688 667 141 278.00–294.00 $284.05 $1,895 +7.87
710–732 716 30 258.00–273.00 $269.43 $1,929 +0.22
772–793 781 236 252.50–270.50 $267.27 $2,087 +16.27
800–848 833 863 248.75–265.50 $254.73 $2,122 +3.17
871 thin fleshed 871 64 254.00 $254.00 $2,212 —
852–897 876 1,762 244.50–257.50 $250.48 $2,194 +3.02
901–945 921 1,288 225.50–253.25 $246.10 $2,267 -1.28
935 thin fleshed 935 63 253.00 $253.00 $2,366 —
950–975 963 770 236.75–246.25 $242.18 $2,332 +3.55
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1018 1018 18 226.00 $226.00 $2,301 -9.27
1052–1088 1067 195 211.00–228.10 $224.90 $2,400 +2.11
1116 1116 60 223.00 $223.00 $2,489 +6.45
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
503–515 511 27 305.00–307.00 $306.42 $1,566 +46.42
583–597 589 66 274.00–297.00 $291.03 $1,714 —
689 689 8 270.00 $270.00 $1,860 +21.65
769 769 6 254.50 $254.50 $1,957 +7.50
846 846 9 241.00 $241.00 $2,039 —
888 888 19 238.00 $238.00 $2,113 +26.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1428–1458 1445 14 187.50–189.75 $188.45 $2,723 +11.66
1550 1550 6 184.25 $184.25 $2,856 -8.75
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1096 1096 7 210.00 $210.00 $2,302 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
529–541 534 28 266.00–273.00 $270.21 $1,443 +1.21
566–581 572 15 233.00–242.00 $236.66 $1,354 -49.80
613–633 622 47 249.00–270.00 $262.76 $1,634 +3.61
659–698 672 101 238.00–258.00 $250.22 $1,681 -13.31
699 699 93 259.00 $259.00 $1,810 -4.53
713–748 725 125 242.00–255.50 $248.26 $1,800 -3.07
758–798 778 513 235.00–251.50 $246.19 $1,915 -0.45
814–840 826 406 233.00–240.75 $237.33 $1,960 +0.50
850–896 872 409 224.00–239.75 $234.29 $2,043 +17.29
904–929 920 202 220.00–234.75 $224.48 $2,065 +5.38
951–995 970 222 213.00–235.00 $222.52 $2,158 -1.70
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
521 521 5 255.00 $255.00 $1,329 +10.27
698 698 8 238.50 $238.50 $1,665 —
714 714 6 231.00 $231.00 $1,649 +1.00
753–789 781 53 229.00–238.50 $235.98 $1,843 —
849 849 12 223.50 $223.50 $1,898 —
905 905 7 212.00 $212.00 $1,919 -6.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1018–1036 1033 76 209.75–220.50 $211.70 $2,187 -5.68

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1024–1325 1167 85-90% 14 80.00–94.50 $84.27 $983 —
1150–1675 1272 85-90% 9 22.50–75.00 $61.30 $780 -27.60
1130–1612 1328 85-90% 12 97.00–102.00 $99.68 $1,324 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1343–1375 1351 80-85% 4 97.00–102.00 $98.27 $1,328 —
1275–1645 1484 80-85% 11 104.00–112.00 $106.50 $1,580 -11.37
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325–1480 1377 75-80% 3 126.00–129.00 $127.92 $1,761 —
1600 1600 75-80% 3 121.00 $121.00 $1,936 +1.98
1820 1820 75-80% 1 112.00 $112.00 $2,038 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1940 1523 8 70.00–111.00 $101.61 $1,548 —
1630–1925 1755 3 115.00–121.00 $117.26 $2,058 +0.08

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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.