Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 15, 2020

3,055 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Stockmen's Livestock Exchange report →

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $151.40/cwt +8.16 vs last sale · ≈ $874/hd at 577 lb · 548 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $149.03/cwt +4.93 vs last sale · ≈ $1,007/hd at 676 lb · 432 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $139.74/cwt +1.36 vs last sale · ≈ $732/hd at 524 lb · 254 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,055 1,890 0
Feeder cattle 3,055 1,890 0

Compared to last week. Very few yearlings in the offering to make an accurate trend. Today was the first sizable calf offering and calves were met with moderate to good demand with the best demand seen for a couple loads of steers. Most had full preconditioning. Quality was mostly attractive on the calves and all were off the cow in mostly light to moderate flesh. Next sale is scheduled for Oct 22, 2020 expecting 4500 hd.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
382 382 5 180.00 $180.00 $688
414–449 430 81 155.00–173.50 $164.21 $706 -1.93
462–491 479 98 154.50–172.25 $163.78 $785
505–548 530 172 144.00–162.50 $154.71 $820
550–599 577 548 143.00–158.00 $151.40 $874 +8.16
602–636 619 215 140.50–153.00 $149.57 $926 +7.22
653–697 676 432 142.00–154.00 $149.03 $1,007 +4.93
705–745 712 98 140.00–149.00 $147.27 $1,049 +6.66
786 786 8 138.25 $138.25 $1,087 -4.60
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
559–568 563 14 131.00–138.00 $134.97 $760

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
374–391 383 21 157.00–165.50 $161.14 $617
416–449 438 68 151.00–157.50 $153.50 $672
453–464 459 66 142.00–160.75 $155.04 $712
506–549 524 254 130.00–144.50 $139.74 $732 +1.36
555–596 571 176 130.00–136.75 $133.79 $764
670 670 10 126.00 $126.00 $844 -16.11
745 745 8 128.00 $128.00 $954 -14.57
888 888 17 130.25 $130.25 $1,157 -3.78
913–944 932 10 123.75–125.75 $124.53 $1,161 -7.40
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
486 486 10 141.50 $141.50 $688

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
421 421 50 165.50 $165.50 $697
522 522 100 147.50 $147.50 $770

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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.