Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 27, 2022

2,538 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 $176.76/cwt -2.18 vs last sale · ≈ $1,108/hd at 627 lb · 200 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $153.95/cwt +5.12 vs last sale · ≈ $1,135/hd at 737 lb · 158 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $155.50/cwt -1.60 vs last sale · ≈ $1,190/hd at 765 lb · 155 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,538 2,548 2,757
Feeder cattle 2,538 2,548 2,757

Compared to last week: Feeder steers steady to 3.00 lower with instances of 5.00 to 6.00 lower, except 700-750 lbs 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Feeder heifers 3.00 to 6.00 lower, instances of 7.00-8.00 lower. Very good demand remains for light weight and fleshed cattle to make yearlings of as the supply of this class is rather limited. More moderate demand for feeding type cattle as so many of these class have been offered for sale since the first of the year. The cash fat market has been sluggish as daily kill totals have been problematic. Live Cattle futures posted a recovery earlier in the week but still have not reached the heights that many were betting on. This week's offering saw a few full loads, but many more smaller strings and packages. Flesh condition ranged from light to moderate plus, buyers are very critical of too much flesh as cost of gains have risen with the rising corn price.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
356–399 377 23 228.00–234.00 $230.64 $870
432–446 443 37 203.00–222.00 $218.55 $968
474 unweaned 474 27 186.00 $186.00 $882
475 475 4 191.00 $191.00 $907 -17.79
459–487 476 79 201.00–210.25 $206.94 $985 -1.85
513–546 529 120 190.25–197.00 $192.64 $1,019 +0.15
565 unweaned 565 23 157.50 $157.50 $890 -17.52
552–598 571 123 180.00–194.25 $187.55 $1,071 -0.21
608–646 627 200 172.50–182.00 $176.76 $1,108 -3.17
685–696 688 47 167.75–170.50 $169.73 $1,168 +9.06
714–719 715 91 167.25–169.25 $167.78 $1,200 +5.82
751–782 763 132 154.50–157.50 $156.11 $1,191 -0.99
779 779 23 152.00 $152.00 $1,184 -5.10
820 820 18 154.75 $154.75 $1,269 -0.50
850 850 68 151.10 $151.10 $1,284 -1.03
875 875 63 152.35 $152.35 $1,333 +0.22
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–393 389 9 200.00–201.00 $200.67 $781 +7.67
451 451 5 191.00 $191.00 $861 +6.50
609 609 16 172.00 $172.00 $1,047
652 652 6 148.00 $148.00 $965 -12.00
806 806 33 139.75 $139.75 $1,126
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1008 1008 61 142.75 $142.75 $1,439 +2.75

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
367–379 375 20 176.00–183.00 $179.84 $674
416–447 431 47 170.00–183.00 $176.59 $761
458–486 471 66 161.00–174.00 $170.01 $801 -8.24
479 479 5 153.00 $153.00 $733 -25.25
512–536 526 125 156.00–172.75 $165.01 $868 -5.77
549 unweaned 549 26 141.00 $141.00 $774
550–591 574 80 150.00–164.75 $160.45 $921 -6.60
597 597 18 148.50 $148.50 $887 -18.55
603–638 620 84 155.50–160.25 $159.06 $986 -1.09
652–679 665 59 139.50–158.25 $154.02 $1,024 -13.98
720–744 736 94 140.75–145.75 $142.63 $1,050 -6.20
726–745 739 64 158.00–197.00 $170.58 $1,261 +21.75
774 774 5 134.50 $134.50 $1,041 -1.50
791–796 793 39 139.00–150.00 $146.04 $1,158 +10.04
855 855 11 136.00 $136.00 $1,163
881 881 8 136.50 $136.50 $1,203 +2.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 16 160.00 $160.00 $557
359 359 4 165.00 $165.00 $592
405 unweaned 405 14 151.00 $151.00 $612
450 450 11 160.00 $160.00 $720
465 unweaned 465 22 145.00 $145.00 $674
591 591 8 141.00 $141.00 $833

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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.