Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 22, 2020

3,828 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $139.59/cwt -9.98 vs last sale · ≈ $864/hd at 619 lb · 461 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $149.75/cwt -1.65 vs last sale · ≈ $860/hd at 574 lb · 432 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $128.99/cwt -4.80 vs last sale · ≈ $745/hd at 577 lb · 403 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,828 3,055 4,170
Feeder cattle 3,828 3,055 4,170

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 450 - 600 lbs 1.00 - 2.00 lower; 600-750 lbs 10.00-12.00 lower. Feeder heifers 500-550 lbs 2.00 lower; 550-600 lbs 6.00 lower. Demand was light to moderate for today's offering of calves. Quality was mostly attractive and all calves were off the cow in light to moderate flesh. Most calves had full preconditioning and those without were discounted. Next sale is scheduled for October 29, 2020.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 5 153.00 $153.00 $528
409–445 437 28 160.00 $160.00 $699 -4.21
457–499 479 158 153.00–169.50 $162.65 $779 -1.13
501–543 518 179 144.00–159.75 $153.21 $794 -1.50
558–594 574 432 140.50–155.00 $149.75 $860 -1.65
601–636 619 461 132.50–143.35 $139.59 $864 -9.98
658–697 677 244 130.50–139.00 $137.12 $928 -11.91
701–740 716 310 132.00–138.75 $135.63 $971 -11.64
766 766 21 126.50 $126.50 $969 -11.75
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
489 489 10 151.00 $151.00 $738
509–547 529 27 141.00–141.50 $141.27 $747
580–593 585 138 133.00–139.50 $137.15 $802 +2.18
621 621 6 118.00 $118.00 $733

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 5 139.00 $139.00 $485
379–387 381 14 143.00–145.00 $144.15 $549 -16.99
416–448 441 30 132.00–140.00 $138.65 $611 -14.85
453–496 481 103 129.00–145.00 $135.02 $649 -20.02
501–549 532 183 130.00–146.75 $137.35 $731 -2.39
565 fancy 565 69 138.75 $138.75 $784
559–599 580 334 119.00–132.00 $126.97 $736 -6.82
604–643 620 282 121.50–127.75 $125.54 $778
672–694 676 68 120.75–130.00 $128.21 $867 +2.21
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
476–486 478 51 126.00–128.50 $127.65 $610 -13.85
663 663 30 118.00 $118.00 $782

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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.