Cattle Market Pulse

South Dakota Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, April 27, 2026

10,023 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $356.82/cwt +5.50 vs last sale · ≈ $3,301/hd at 925 lb · 1,594 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $370.60/cwt +6.99 vs last sale · ≈ $3,250/hd at 877 lb · 1,173 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $350.00/cwt +16.68 vs last sale · ≈ $3,420/hd at 977 lb · 666 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 10,023 20,043 9,756
Feeder cattle 8,881 19,379 8,866
Slaughter cattle 1,142 664 890

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and heifers 5.00 to 15.00 higher. Very good demand for all weights of steers and heifers. As the CME Live and Feeder Cattle futures spiked higher, so did the enthusiasm of cattle feeders to get cattle bought now. Cash fed cattle reached new all-time historical high prices this week. The feeder cattle market grabbed another gear and launched higher as the outlook for the coming months in the fat cattle market improved to a level that looks to be profitable. With recent rains, and now some sunshine grass is green and growing and turnout time is upon us.

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
394–397 395 7 535.00–575.00 $557.78 $2,203 -58.84
468–478 472 23 500.00–593.00 $550.01 $2,596 -29.09
507–543 526 42 480.00–545.00 $522.22 $2,747 -12.47
562–594 589 70 440.00–528.00 $490.83 $2,891 -16.03
606–637 623 81 410.00–487.00 $452.52 $2,819 -22.71
657–671 666 126 395.00–465.00 $446.71 $2,975 -11.15
710–747 734 97 370.00–439.00 $412.08 $3,025 +2.15
751–767 763 109 404.00–422.00 $418.37 $3,192 +15.48
789 789 14 384.00 $384.00 $3,030 -18.89
807–848 818 226 365.00–395.00 $387.92 $3,173 +7.07
821 821 13 362.00 $362.00 $2,972 -18.85
861–899 877 1,173 353.00–378.75 $370.60 $3,250 +6.11
903–947 925 1,594 336.00–370.00 $356.82 $3,301 +4.84
959–992 977 666 333.00–360.00 $350.00 $3,420 +14.89
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
595 595 23 439.00 $439.00 $2,612 —
794 794 7 376.00 $376.00 $2,985 —
849 849 30 367.00 $367.00 $3,116 —
895 895 5 327.00 $327.00 $2,927 —
1004–1045 1019 1,083 305.00–348.00 $341.70 $3,482 +15.93
1050 1050 60 332.50 $332.50 $3,491 +24.68
1108–1145 1126 170 292.50–326.00 $320.08 $3,604 +25.83
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1193–1293 1272 19 268.00–278.00 $269.97 $3,434 —
1441 1441 6 250.00 $250.00 $3,602 —
1509 1509 7 260.00 $260.00 $3,923 +9.66
1529–1553 1543 25 267.00 $267.00 $4,120 —
1549–1599 1579 67 256.00–257.00 $256.71 $4,053 —
1611–1662 1647 154 253.00–260.00 $255.21 $4,203 +5.08
1583–1717 1665 25 264.00–268.50 $266.63 $4,439 —
1736–1813 1755 122 251.00–253.00 $252.31 $4,428 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
659–665 661 9 370.00–424.00 $405.89 $2,683 +52.91
748 748 13 404.00 $404.00 $3,022 —
765–790 781 28 361.00–383.00 $377.17 $2,946 +25.16
866 866 4 341.00 $341.00 $2,953 +1.00

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400–434 417 24 515.00–557.50 $535.19 $2,232 -19.90
469–497 486 48 450.00–492.50 $480.49 $2,335 +15.49
529 529 7 447.50 $447.50 $2,367 -74.50
503–543 532 87 430.00–490.00 $463.12 $2,464 -20.03
571–595 580 38 427.50–457.50 $444.69 $2,579 -4.82
608–644 623 177 385.00–434.00 $420.04 $2,617 +8.67
654–694 680 88 372.50–399.00 $391.07 $2,659 -6.90
701–747 721 472 376.00–402.75 $390.75 $2,817 +12.15
751–799 772 377 330.00–387.00 $365.96 $2,825 -4.99
801–849 820 465 324.00–363.75 $348.16 $2,855 +20.16
852–896 872 289 317.00–348.00 $336.51 $2,934 +7.09
914–917 917 211 313.50–352.00 $319.14 $2,927 -154.84
981 981 34 294.00 $294.00 $2,884 -3.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1141 1141 5 267.00 $267.00 $3,046 —
1339–1527 1416 41 260.25–267.50 $264.00 $3,738 +14.53
1386–1548 1475 228 249.00–258.50 $256.69 $3,786 +8.29
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
591 591 6 420.00 $420.00 $2,482 —
600 600 5 351.00 $351.00 $2,106 -29.00
663–694 674 25 362.00–369.00 $364.59 $2,457 +5.01
729 729 9 346.00 $346.00 $2,522 +3.74
825 825 3 319.00 $319.00 $2,632 +9.00
899 899 15 304.00 $304.00 $2,733 +14.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
832 832 60 2,990.00 $2,990.00 +25.87
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1011 1011 8 283.00 $283.00 $2,861 -6.55
1066 1066 16 282.00 $282.00 $3,006 —

↑ Back to top

Beef Dairy Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
749 749 31 324.00 $324.00 $2,427 —

↑ Back to top

Beef Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1237–1566 1425 14 234.00–238.00 $235.49 $3,356 —

↑ Back to top

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.