Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, March 30, 2026

9,715 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $333.45/cwt +7.54 vs last sale · ≈ $3,220/hd at 966 lb · 931 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $343.25/cwt -1.58 vs last sale · ≈ $3,174/hd at 925 lb · 698 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $358.15/cwt +2.34 vs last sale · ≈ $3,134/hd at 875 lb · 554 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 9,715 27,823 5,000
Feeder cattle 8,602 26,617 4,496
Slaughter cattle 1,113 1,206 504

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers steady to firm in narrow comparisons. With the Easter week, and a winter storm at the end of the week, many auctions did not host a feeder cattle auction. Very good demand for all weights of steers and heifers. As the cattle futures contracts continued to rise, so did cattle producers optimism that the fat cattle market would improve. Rain and snow across the region bringing desperately needed moisture to many areas, but not all.

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
332 332 8 585.00 $585.00 $1,942 +5.00
400–445 419 33 590.00–625.00 $601.55 $2,520 +22.73
472–497 485 59 515.00–570.00 $558.03 $2,706 +1.10
503–541 518 92 515.00–550.00 $532.55 $2,759 +12.06
557–597 572 40 450.00–507.50 $492.05 $2,815 +3.57
602–649 630 238 422.50–470.00 $447.34 $2,818 -11.69
652–699 679 302 407.00–446.00 $423.48 $2,875 -9.56
701–748 722 289 392.50–424.00 $409.51 $2,957 -0.33
756–799 778 513 366.00–398.00 $384.19 $2,989 -2.77
801–848 819 228 355.00–389.00 $376.09 $3,080 +4.84
850–896 875 554 340.50–367.50 $358.15 $3,134 +1.92
913–921 916 19 322.00–325.00 $323.11 $2,960 -7.88
906–941 925 679 335.00–356.25 $343.81 $3,180 -1.94
951–999 965 902 318.50–347.50 $334.04 $3,223 +20.36
975–996 984 29 310.00–318.50 $314.94 $3,099 -14.13
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
651 651 20 401.00 $401.00 $2,611 —
1001–1044 1023 764 313.00–334.25 $327.22 $3,347 +12.84
1070 1070 151 314.00 $314.00 $3,360 +3.36
1100–1118 1111 46 296.00–312.00 $306.44 $3,405 +6.48
1266 1266 16 260.00 $260.00 $3,292 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1424–1448 1438 16 238.50–244.00 $241.62 $3,474 —
1505–1584 1555 59 243.00–250.00 $247.21 $3,844 —
1512–1585 1564 56 240.00–245.25 $241.54 $3,778 —
1638–1754 1732 91 237.50–245.50 $239.44 $4,147 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
343 343 5 540.00 $540.00 $1,852 —
436 436 5 540.00 $540.00 $2,354 +24.77
508–547 531 24 480.00–495.00 $485.98 $2,581 +7.11
649 649 7 405.00 $405.00 $2,628 -28.63
650–698 664 66 387.50–399.00 $393.16 $2,611 -17.89
742 742 21 376.00 $376.00 $2,790 —
820 820 7 345.00 $345.00 $2,829 -0.02

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
341 341 11 545.00 $545.00 $1,858 -15.00
373–390 380 7 525.00 $525.00 $1,995 -17.54
428–433 431 13 480.00–570.00 $542.53 $2,338 +20.98
460–477 466 50 485.00–510.00 $496.99 $2,316 +7.05
499 499 4 400.00 $400.00 $1,996 -89.94
508–543 521 77 425.00–475.00 $459.00 $2,391 +0.83
555–599 578 151 410.00–465.00 $426.09 $2,463 -8.42
601–649 621 214 382.50–425.00 $399.06 $2,478 -11.25
652–694 668 270 365.00–408.00 $388.59 $2,596 -0.86
720 720 6 335.00 $335.00 $2,412 -43.65
700–744 727 435 340.00–386.00 $367.45 $2,671 -11.20
751–790 774 308 340.00–375.50 $353.77 $2,738 -1.93
817–847 827 166 310.00–354.00 $331.19 $2,739 -35.41
843 843 9 320.00 $320.00 $2,698 -46.60
851–892 876 284 315.00–333.00 $327.13 $2,866 +11.10
907–949 937 330 307.00–314.75 $309.48 $2,900 +2.64
960 960 7 303.00 $303.00 $2,909 -0.70
977 977 17 281.00 $281.00 $2,745 -22.70
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1562 1464 33 245.00–250.00 $248.89 $3,644 +9.06
1310–1599 1506 354 238.50–246.50 $240.99 $3,629 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
789 789 44 2,885.00 $2,885.00 -65.03
801–836 807 76 2,875.00–2,950.00 $2,888.29 —
853–880 859 195 2,925.00–3,300.00 $3,195.84 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
410–442 425 22 447.50–465.00 $460.33 $1,956 -7.86
542–548 545 12 425.00–426.00 $425.50 $2,319 +10.15
560 560 10 375.00 $375.00 $2,100 -36.96
620–634 630 53 350.00–384.00 $359.47 $2,265 -2.63
679 679 6 354.00 $354.00 $2,404 +19.00
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
333 333 4 475.00 $475.00 $1,582 —
418 418 4 450.00 $450.00 $1,881 —
509 509 7 417.50 $417.50 $2,125 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1071 1071 5 280.00 $280.00 $2,999 +10.50

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 4 455.00 $455.00 $2,457 —
680 680 3 385.00 $385.00 $2,618 —

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Beef Dairy Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1353–1471 1384 57 235.00–238.00 $235.84 $3,264 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1379–1754 1639 44 236.00–239.00 $237.69 $3,896 —

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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.