Cattle Market Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report
Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Thursday, November 16, 20234,897 head sold ·Official USDA report
This is an archived report. See the latest Stockmen's Livestock Exchange report →
Receipts
| Head | This sale | Last sale | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total receipts | 4,897 | 3,924 | 3,562 |
| Feeder cattle | 4,897 | 3,924 | 3,562 |
Market comments — USDA reporter
New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓
Feeder Steers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 308–339 | 319 | 38 | 365.00–395.00 | $376.37 | $1,201 | — |
| 364–396 | 388 | 57 | 360.00–380.00 | $372.01 | $1,443 | +10.01 |
| 409–446 | 432 | 172 | 335.00–370.00 | $352.14 | $1,521 | +22.73 |
| 437 | 437 | 7 | 400.00 | $400.00 | $1,748 | — |
| 461 | 461 | 4 | 340.00 | $340.00 | $1,567 | +8.00 |
| 463 | 463 | 13 | 365.00 | $365.00 | $1,690 | — |
| 450–498 | 474 | 341 | 292.50–329.00 | $308.33 | $1,461 | +5.86 |
| 514 | 514 | 7 | 312.50 | $312.50 | $1,606 | — |
| 506–549 | 529 | 570 | 272.00–304.00 | $291.45 | $1,542 | +2.27 |
| 550–598 | 573 | 631 | 257.50–281.25 | $272.18 | $1,560 | -2.13 |
| 601–643 | 622 | 319 | 248.00–264.75 | $259.29 | $1,613 | -2.07 |
| 650–698 | 672 | 331 | 235.00–258.00 | $246.35 | $1,655 | -2.26 |
| 707 | 707 | 24 | 255.50 | $255.50 | $1,806 | +13.50 |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 369–380 | 378 | 65 | 342.00–350.00 | $344.81 | $1,303 | +29.97 |
| 423 | 423 | 6 | 295.00 | $295.00 | $1,248 | -6.08 |
| 465 | 465 | 13 | 285.00 | $285.00 | $1,325 | +8.12 |
| 516–547 | 533 | 24 | 259.00–280.00 | $266.72 | $1,422 | -13.28 |
| 555–561 | 556 | 39 | 251.00–252.00 | $251.23 | $1,397 | -3.74 |
| 660 | 660 | 8 | 225.00 | $225.00 | $1,485 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 221 | 221 | 11 | 550.00 | $550.00 | -200.00 |
| 287 | 287 | 7 | 875.00 | $875.00 | +75.00 |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300–347 | 325 | 58 | 290.00–310.00 | $298.71 | $971 | +17.94 |
| 360–395 | 379 | 142 | 265.00–290.00 | $279.52 | $1,059 | -8.05 |
| 401–432 | 417 | 111 | 262.50–280.00 | $271.68 | $1,133 | -11.80 |
| 458–498 | 477 | 337 | 240.00–270.50 | $257.38 | $1,228 | -13.05 |
| 450–494 | 478 | 104 | 274.00–281.00 | $277.98 | $1,329 | +7.55 |
| 512 | 512 | 36 | 277.50 | $277.50 | $1,421 | +28.69 |
| 504–547 | 525 | 127 | 244.00–260.00 | $254.46 | $1,336 | +5.65 |
| 553–564 | 561 | 51 | 260.00–260.50 | $260.18 | $1,460 | +22.10 |
| 555–598 | 575 | 196 | 231.00–256.00 | $241.90 | $1,391 | +3.82 |
| 602–644 | 625 | 107 | 220.00–233.00 | $225.08 | $1,407 | -7.56 |
| 866 | 866 | 25 | 207.00 | $207.00 | $1,793 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 308 | 308 | 5 | 275.00 | $275.00 | $847 | — |
| 414–424 | 420 | 16 | 238.00–242.50 | $239.66 | $1,007 | -17.08 |
| 472–496 | 486 | 25 | 231.00–237.00 | $235.48 | $1,144 | -16.82 |
| 518 | 518 | 8 | 222.50 | $222.50 | $1,153 | -18.90 |
| 755 | 755 | 10 | 198.00 | $198.00 | $1,495 | — |
| 800 | 800 | 10 | 195.00 | $195.00 | $1,560 | — |
Feeder Bulls
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 378 | 378 | 6 | 340.00 | $340.00 | $1,285 | — |
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.
Compared to last week: Steer calves under 500 lbs 10.00 to 20.00 higher, 500-550 lbs 2.00 to 5.00 higher, over 550 lbs 2.00 to 5.00 lower. Heifer calves under 500 lbs 10.00 to 12.00 lower, 500-600 lbs 2.00 to 5.00 higher, over 600 lbs 8.00 to 10.00 lower. A very large offering of high quality steer and heifer calves, many long strings including full load lots. The market activity was rather slow at the start as auctioneers had to start cattle back a long ways to find bids, but as the day progressed the market got stronger. Demand was very uneven, good demand for light weight steers to make yearlings of and for replacement quality heifers, more moderate for all other weights of steers and heifers. Another day of 3.00 plus losses on the Live and Feeder Cattle contacts, this volatility and down pressure is having a detrimental impact on the confidence that cattle feeders held just a short few weeks ago that the best of the market was yet to come. Black hided and fully preconditioned steers and heifers are the easiest to sell, but a good green one regardless of hide color still sells well.