Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 25, 2023

1,945 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $226.54/cwt -0.75 vs last sale · ≈ $1,851/hd at 817 lb · 173 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $211.86/cwt -7.13 vs last sale · ≈ $1,953/hd at 922 lb · 127 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $269.41/cwt +2.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,687/hd at 626 lb · 125 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,945 10,218 9,578
Feeder cattle 1,443 8,834 8,573
Slaughter cattle 502 1,384 1,005

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Too few feeder cattle offered as most auction markets did not host a feeder cattle auction. Moderate to good demand for the small offering. Much larger sales expected in the coming week as auction markets all get back to their regular sale schedules and feeder cattle producers resume their winter marketing. Slaughter cows and 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
456 456 4 309.00 $309.00 $1,409 -19.00
501–522 509 32 302.00–315.00 $310.00 $1,578 -1.62
562 562 7 289.00 $289.00 $1,624 +1.70
601–647 626 125 259.00–275.00 $269.41 $1,687 +0.67
708–748 730 68 236.00–256.50 $244.94 $1,788 +0.06
774–777 774 40 229.50–230.00 $229.94 $1,780 -3.94
776 776 9 212.00 $212.00 $1,645 -21.88
812–826 817 173 223.75–229.00 $226.54 $1,851 -0.75
862 862 9 210.50 $210.50 $1,815 -4.84
920–925 922 127 210.75–212.85 $211.86 $1,953 -7.13
958 958 17 205.25 $205.25 $1,966 +0.25
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1368 1328 14 168.00–173.00 $170.09 $2,259 —
1434–1465 1444 18 168.00–171.75 $170.48 $2,462 -0.63
1399–1496 1448 81 173.50–175.00 $174.37 $2,525 +3.26
1537–1540 1539 23 168.00–172.50 $170.15 $2,619 +1.84
1575 1575 10 175.00 $175.00 $2,756 -0.47
1624–1682 1628 48 172.00–175.00 $173.23 $2,820 +3.90
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
549 549 8 287.00 $287.00 $1,576 +11.19
691 691 26 249.00 $249.00 $1,721 —
719 719 10 222.00 $222.00 $1,596 -3.12
782–797 794 45 201.00–228.00 $222.68 $1,768 +10.68
830 830 7 197.00 $197.00 $1,635 +6.00
927 927 19 186.50 $186.50 $1,729 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225 1225 3 166.00 $166.00 $2,034 -17.00
1291 1291 7 167.50 $167.50 $2,162 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
438 438 9 291.00 $291.00 $1,275 +7.91
489–499 492 20 262.00–263.00 $262.30 $1,291 +1.30
532 532 23 262.00 $262.00 $1,394 -9.29
573 573 5 250.00 $250.00 $1,432 -13.15
634–636 635 23 234.50–237.00 $235.37 $1,495 -15.08
662–683 676 122 230.00–237.00 $231.83 $1,567 +10.37
703–729 717 48 227.00–230.00 $228.65 $1,639 +13.14
727 727 14 218.00 $218.00 $1,585 +2.49
776 776 29 228.00 $228.00 $1,769 +15.73
789 789 32 216.00 $216.00 $1,704 +3.73
824 824 18 200.00 $200.00 $1,648 -6.51
822–843 828 87 209.50–214.00 $213.21 $1,765 +6.70
886 886 5 198.50 $198.50 $1,759 +5.06
927 927 55 195.10 $195.10 $1,809 +0.74
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1099–1292 1253 20 169.00–176.00 $170.23 $2,133 —
1278 1278 4 166.00 $166.00 $2,121 —
1318–1501 1376 55 173.00–176.00 $173.93 $2,393 —
1411–1551 1456 157 170.00–175.50 $173.47 $2,526 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
655–663 658 66 180.00–182.00 $181.27 $1,193 —
853 853 9 161.00 $161.00 $1,373 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1006 1006 52 193.85 $193.85 $1,950 +9.72
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
488 488 3 250.00 $250.00 $1,220 -15.39
541–543 542 19 241.00–249.00 $246.90 $1,338 +15.79
647 647 16 229.50 $229.50 $1,485 +13.57
687 687 5 223.00 $223.00 $1,532 +23.83

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Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
751–800 772 85-90% 7 27.50–31.00 $29.45 $227 —
1033–1828 1289 85-90% 31 72.00–84.00 $77.25 $996 —
800–1635 1298 85-90% 4 60.00–67.50 $62.77 $815 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1630 1630 80-85% 1 90.00 $90.00 $1,467 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1718 1718 3 152.00 $152.00 $2,611 +3.74

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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.