Cattle Market Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report
Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock
Sale of Thursday, December 7, 20232,937 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 | 2,937 | 4,613 | 3,173 |
| Feeder cattle | 2,937 | 4,613 | 3,173 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 350–379 | 367 | 80 | 355.00–382.00 | $367.45 | $1,349 | +11.88 |
| 421–437 | 424 | 110 | 324.00–344.75 | $341.28 | $1,447 | +10.82 |
| 452–499 | 466 | 354 | 294.00–330.50 | $316.04 | $1,473 | +10.74 |
| 524 | 524 | 5 | 278.00 | $278.00 | $1,457 | -18.80 |
| 505–549 | 526 | 129 | 279.00–304.50 | $288.43 | $1,517 | -8.37 |
| 550–592 | 572 | 156 | 263.50–289.00 | $279.18 | $1,597 | +9.62 |
| 600–640 | 617 | 269 | 251.00–270.00 | $263.06 | $1,623 | +0.34 |
| 667–694 | 679 | 127 | 226.00–252.75 | $243.60 | $1,654 | -15.62 |
| 701–707 | 705 | 53 | 225.00–246.00 | $233.09 | $1,643 | -7.02 |
| 762 | 762 | 14 | 219.00 | $219.00 | $1,669 | -14.09 |
| 870 | 870 | 64 | 182.50 | $182.50 | $1,588 | — |
| 948 | 948 | 62 | 189.50 | $189.50 | $1,796 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1006 | 1006 | 60 | 196.00 | $196.00 | $1,972 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 321–327 | 324 | 10 | 310.00–321.00 | $315.45 | $1,022 | — |
| 394 | 394 | 6 | 331.00 | $331.00 | $1,304 | +9.10 |
| 405–439 | 425 | 18 | 287.00–316.00 | $307.94 | $1,309 | +17.94 |
| 499 | 499 | 7 | 261.00 | $261.00 | $1,302 | — |
| 602 | 602 | 11 | 237.00 | $237.00 | $1,427 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 498 | 498 | 9 | 245.00 | $245.00 | $1,220 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 695 | 695 | 7 | 209.00 | $209.00 | $1,453 | — |
Feeder Heifers
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 346 | 346 | 7 | 277.00 | $277.00 | $958 | -23.91 |
| 357–392 | 376 | 23 | 280.00–294.00 | $286.55 | $1,077 | +11.74 |
| 422 | 422 | 44 | 293.00 | $293.00 | $1,236 | — |
| 401–447 | 429 | 49 | 271.00–292.00 | $280.90 | $1,205 | +9.69 |
| 452–495 | 475 | 140 | 257.50–285.00 | $265.23 | $1,260 | -6.73 |
| 502–543 | 514 | 81 | 245.00–260.50 | $251.54 | $1,293 | -19.96 |
| 531 | 531 | 15 | 243.50 | $243.50 | $1,293 | -15.70 |
| 554–599 | 574 | 279 | 241.00–256.00 | $248.64 | $1,427 | -2.53 |
| 603–631 | 616 | 106 | 229.00–235.00 | $231.66 | $1,427 | -13.84 |
| 694 | 694 | 15 | 191.00 | $191.00 | $1,326 | -22.30 |
| 798 | 798 | 70 | 178.75 | $178.75 | $1,426 | — |
| 918 | 918 | 6 | 200.00 | $200.00 | $1,836 | — |
| 1039 | 1039 | 7 | 178.50 | $178.50 | $1,855 | — |
| Weight (lb) | Avg wt | Head | Price range | Avg $ | ≈ $/hd | Δ last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 339 | 339 | 31 | 275.00 | $275.00 | $932 | — |
| 437 | 437 | 8 | 251.00 | $251.00 | $1,097 | -13.28 |
| 496 | 496 | 8 | 247.00 | $247.00 | $1,225 | — |
| 576 | 576 | 32 | 224.00 | $224.00 | $1,290 | — |
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: Feeder steers under 600 lbs 5.00 to 10.00 higher, except 500-550 lbs 2.00 to 4.00 lower, 600-650 lbs steady to 5.00 higher, 650-700 lbs 8.00 to 10.00 lower, over 700 lbs sold with steady to lower undertones. Feeder heifers mostly steady except 500-550 lbs 8.00 to 10.00 lower. Very uneven demand this week as the futures contracts continue their colossal retreat. There is still optimism amongst the backgrounders as they still need to buy light cattle to make yearlings of, and there is hope of better markets to come yet for that class of cattle. Cattle bound for feedyards were met with mixed demand. The market was very active on the light cattle as there is a lot of competition for those little cattle, but the feedyard bound cattle are harder to sell as cattle feeders have watched their prospects of selling fats at 200.00 vanish, according to what the CME Live Cattle contracts are predicting. There were quite a few weaned calves in the offering, depending on how heavy their flesh was, sure was a factor in what price they would achieve.