Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 10, 2020

3,738 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $150.76/cwt +2.89 vs last sale · ≈ $1,012/hd at 671 lb · 430 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $139.61/cwt +2.12 vs last sale · ≈ $815/hd at 584 lb · 356 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $157.42/cwt -2.88 vs last sale · ≈ $904/hd at 574 lb · 301 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,738 4,211 3,863
Feeder cattle 3,738 4,211 3,863

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 450-500 & 550-600 lbs 3.00 lower; 500-550 & 600-750 lbs 3.00-4.00 higher. Feeder heifers 450-600 lbs 2.00 - 3.00 higher; 600-700 lbs 1.00-2.00 lower. Demand was good to moderate on today's offering of feeder steers and heifers. Quality was mostly attractive with the feeders in light to moderate flesh. About one third of the offering today were weaned 40-60 days. Next sale is December 17, 2020.

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
344 344 9 180.00 $180.00 $619 —
408–443 428 35 171.00–205.00 $192.74 $825 +13.65
450–484 467 49 180.00–186.50 $182.89 $854 -3.19
502–545 518 153 161.00–181.00 $175.11 $907 +3.94
555–598 574 301 151.00–160.50 $157.42 $904 -2.88
602–631 608 216 143.50–159.85 $156.21 $950 +4.50
658–696 671 430 140.00–157.50 $150.76 $1,012 +2.89
710–728 718 78 138.00–153.50 $148.10 $1,063 +4.60
759–786 771 138 135.00–151.50 $141.43 $1,090 -7.57
854 854 18 131.50 $131.50 $1,123 —
998 998 64 127.75 $127.75 $1,275 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
419 419 16 164.00 $164.00 $687 ±0.00
535–547 541 32 156.50–158.00 $157.29 $851 +12.29
646 646 44 140.50 $140.50 $908 —
657–676 671 25 133.50–135.00 $134.22 $901 -3.82
712 712 24 134.00 $134.00 $954 +2.11

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
378–391 388 18 154.00–168.00 $157.03 $609 -2.35
404–444 430 25 163.00–174.00 $166.72 $717 +10.37
451–499 477 101 140.00–157.50 $148.72 $709 +1.66
501–546 523 160 140.00–154.00 $146.09 $764 -2.50
550–598 584 356 132.00–147.00 $139.61 $815 +2.12
604–644 625 232 133.75–144.00 $137.40 $859 -1.21
653–688 665 152 128.50–144.50 $135.06 $898 -0.98
785 785 12 122.50 $122.50 $962 -1.00
895 895 67 122.25 $122.25 $1,094 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
409 409 5 130.00 $130.00 $532 —
458 458 5 135.00 $135.00 $618 +1.50
535 535 15 135.00 $135.00 $722 —
581 581 19 127.50 $127.50 $741 —
604–608 606 9 124.50–129.00 $126.51 $767 +1.51
672 672 13 124.00 $124.00 $833 +4.00

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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.