Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 31, 2023

974 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $254.31/cwt ≈ $2,126/hd at 836 lb · 78 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $236.81/cwt ≈ $2,155/hd at 910 lb · 66 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $246.23/cwt +38.75 vs last sale · ≈ $1,928/hd at 783 lb · 59 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 974 1,502 1,030
Feeder cattle 974 1,502 1,030

First report of the fall season. Sale had fair to moderate offering. The cattle coming off summer pasture have flesh light to moderate. the market was moderate to active. No comparison yet. Next sale is Sept. 7th

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415 415 5 285.00 $285.00 $1,183 +0.60
463–485 472 10 280.00–293.00 $287.65 $1,358 +9.88
605 605 6 271.00 $271.00 $1,640 -3.90
744 744 5 265.00 $265.00 $1,972 +10.23
771 771 14 262.00 $262.00 $2,020 +32.50
804–847 836 78 250.00–258.50 $254.31 $2,126
892 892 6 242.00 $242.00 $2,159
909–922 910 66 236.50–241.50 $236.81 $2,155
980 980 58 245.75 $245.75 $2,408
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
550 550 10 247.50 $247.50 $1,361 -36.50
638 638 4 242.00 $242.00 $1,544
888 888 7 200.00 $200.00 $1,776
949 949 6 211.00 $211.00 $2,002

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
379 379 8 255.00 $255.00 $966 -2.00
425 425 5 254.00 $254.00 $1,080 +2.31
453–482 464 8 246.00–250.00 $248.44 $1,153 -2.83
515–527 519 17 250.00–255.00 $253.21 $1,314 +8.87
660–678 675 14 254.00–257.00 $254.42 $1,717 +30.41
708–746 735 16 240.00–249.00 $246.25 $1,810
770–793 783 59 242.50–251.00 $246.23 $1,928 +38.75
810–848 814 41 239.50–243.50 $240.69 $1,959 +41.69
879 879 20 235.50 $235.50 $2,070
925 925 13 229.50 $229.50 $2,123 +65.00
983–996 986 38 209.75–213.00 $212.14 $2,092
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
234 234 4 450.00 $450.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
584 584 4 229.00 $229.00 $1,337

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 9 304.00 $304.00 $1,061
423 423 6 285.00 $285.00 $1,206

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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.