Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 12, 2022

992 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $167.05/cwt -2.21 vs last sale · ≈ $1,111/hd at 665 lb · 135 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $144.54/cwt -9.92 vs last sale · ≈ $1,211/hd at 838 lb · 84 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $172.34/cwt -12.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,189/hd at 690 lb · 68 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 992 1,500 2,400
Feeder cattle 992 1,500 2,400

Compared to last week: Too few comparable sales of feeder steers and heifers to make accurate price comparisons. Good demand for this lighter offering of feeder cattle this week. The market was very active for light fleshed cattle that can go right to grass as turnout time is here, thanks to the recent moisture that is helping to alleviate the severe drought. The grass is green and growing and the growing season has a much better outlook, there were plenty of buyers for grass cattle and for the strings of very attractive replacement heifers. Cattle feeders are faced with high feed costs and a now Live Cattle futures are moving lower as we enter the time of year where market ready fats are the most readily available, which is keeping pressure on the feeder cattle market. Watch local listings for next feeder cattle special sale.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
449 449 12 207.50 $207.50 $932
556–581 572 14 191.00–198.00 $193.43 $1,106 -20.06
623–640 634 45 181.00–186.00 $184.43 $1,169 -0.57
685–695 690 68 171.00–173.75 $172.34 $1,189 -12.66
732 732 14 162.50 $162.50 $1,190 -2.00
786 786 7 155.00 $155.00 $1,218 +0.88
892 892 62 146.25 $146.25 $1,305
980 980 63 141.25 $141.25 $1,384
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
383 383 3 191.00 $191.00 $732
467 467 5 190.50 $190.50 $890 -15.50
512–549 531 12 192.00 $192.00 $1,020 +2.00
574–577 575 37 188.00–192.00 $189.30 $1,088
636 636 9 164.50 $164.50 $1,046 -7.50

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 5 170.00 $170.00 $734
468 468 21 176.50 $176.50 $826
523–541 529 35 171.00–180.00 $176.96 $936 +2.89
563–594 580 13 161.00–169.50 $164.81 $956 -9.84
614–620 615 51 163.50–177.00 $171.09 $1,052 +15.09
655–688 657 88 153.50–171.00 $169.75 $1,115 -4.25
681 681 47 162.00 $162.00 $1,103 -0.81
703–734 720 13 143.00–144.50 $143.68 $1,034 -18.92
722 722 10 152.00 $152.00 $1,097 -10.60
776 776 18 136.00 $136.00 $1,055 -23.00
804–845 838 84 137.50–146.00 $144.54 $1,211 +10.04
890 890 27 135.75 $135.75 $1,208
975 975 15 126.75 $126.75 $1,236
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 4 161.00 $161.00 $564
421 421 4 161.00 $161.00 $678 -10.00
520–549 542 17 161.00–167.00 $165.65 $898
581 581 8 160.00 $160.00 $930 +9.50
616–645 622 24 154.00–159.00 $156.94 $976
690 690 5 143.00 $143.00 $987

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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.