Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, November 25, 2024

1,788 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $248.11/cwt +0.24 vs last sale · ≈ $1,838/hd at 741 lb · 111 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $221.29/cwt -7.83 vs last sale · ≈ $2,080/hd at 940 lb · 68 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $288.54/cwt -24.40 vs last sale · ≈ $1,795/hd at 622 lb · 67 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,788 27,538 33,482
Feeder cattle 1,788 26,392 33,482
Slaughter cattle — 1,146 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Only 1 reported auction this week as most locations did not host a feeder cattle auction over the Thanksgiving holiday week. Very good demand for the limited feeder cattle offered. Much larger receipts next week as more cow/calf producers East River ship their spring born calves to town, as is usual for producers from the eastern half of the state.

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
322 322 5 440.00 $440.00 $1,417 -2.69
352–388 370 16 400.00–405.00 $402.38 $1,489 +37.38
403–413 408 8 390.00–395.00 $392.47 $1,601 +7.47
450–493 471 40 342.50–370.00 $356.45 $1,679 -9.10
501–537 520 60 331.00–346.00 $339.39 $1,765 -1.67
561–592 577 44 297.00–316.00 $310.25 $1,790 +12.75
612–648 622 67 283.00–291.00 $288.54 $1,795 -25.28
651–699 664 41 264.00–293.00 $284.58 $1,890 -8.14
702–716 704 30 264.00–276.00 $273.97 $1,929 -4.19
754–795 782 51 246.00–267.00 $256.82 $2,008 +12.82
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1024 1024 331 241.50 $241.50 $2,473 +3.23
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
481 481 12 335.00 $335.00 $1,611 -0.40
561–572 567 23 294.00–301.00 $297.01 $1,684 +5.71
724 724 10 256.00 $256.00 $1,853 +19.02
850 850 8 240.00 $240.00 $2,040 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
470–490 474 18 305.00–315.00 $307.30 $1,457 -35.20
629 629 10 247.00 $247.00 $1,554 —
768–783 774 12 227.50–255.00 $243.41 $1,884 —
856 856 6 231.00 $231.00 $1,977 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1086 1086 5 220.50 $220.50 $2,395 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
361 361 11 375.00 $375.00 $1,354 +20.39
416–434 428 27 330.00–350.00 $341.73 $1,463 -1.44
450–494 467 38 300.00–325.00 $305.80 $1,428 -13.99
503–528 512 30 290.00–305.00 $299.54 $1,534 -6.48
539 539 18 272.50 $272.50 $1,469 -70.29
556–581 574 27 275.00–287.00 $283.04 $1,625 -6.09
607 607 11 283.00 $283.00 $1,718 +2.50
673–674 674 29 247.50–259.00 $254.25 $1,714 -3.63
733–744 741 111 247.00–248.50 $248.11 $1,838 +0.24
835 835 12 224.00 $224.00 $1,870 -16.36
928–942 940 68 221.25–221.50 $221.29 $2,080 -13.88
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1038 1038 34 211.00 $211.00 $2,190 -9.25
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
656 656 11 242.00 $242.00 $1,588 —
773 773 10 232.00 $232.00 $1,793 —
802 802 5 221.00 $221.00 $1,772 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
391 391 10 337.50 $337.50 $1,320 +4.19
545 545 8 280.00 $280.00 $1,526 -2.66
708 708 8 232.50 $232.50 $1,646 —

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Beef Dairy Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
701 701 5 232.00 $232.00 $1,626 —
Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
623 623 5 220.00 $220.00 $1,371 —

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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.