Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 14, 2023

2,660 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $256.77/cwt +13.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,731/hd at 674 lb · 252 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $303.77/cwt +15.73 vs last sale · ≈ $1,589/hd at 523 lb · 248 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $281.61/cwt +2.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,594/hd at 566 lb · 245 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,660 2,937 3,173
Feeder cattle 2,660 2,937 3,173

Compared to last week's sale, Steers and Heifers sold higher with good demand. Feeder Steers under 550 lbs sold mostly 5.00-7.00 higher. Feeder Steers 550-700 lbs traded 10.00-13.00 higher on a strong run of 600-700lb calves. Feeder Heifers sold 10.00-15.00 higher on heifers less then 450 lbs, while 450-550 lbs were mostly 5.00-7.00 higher and a larger run of 550-650 lb heifers traded 7.00-10.00 higher.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
341 341 27 387.00 $387.00 $1,320
403–427 417 93 325.00–352.00 $343.35 $1,432 +2.07
452–495 486 192 297.00–326.50 $307.21 $1,493 -8.83
504–545 523 248 279.50–310.00 $303.77 $1,589 +25.77
551–578 565 234 278.00–289.00 $283.80 $1,603 +4.62
589 589 11 235.00 $235.00 $1,384 -44.18
603–649 633 218 242.00–275.50 $260.68 $1,650 -2.38
652–696 674 252 239.00–263.75 $256.77 $1,731 +13.17
715–717 716 48 233.00–251.00 $240.89 $1,725 +7.80
868 868 5 173.00 $173.00 $1,502 -9.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
351–352 351 21 253.00–300.00 $286.54 $1,006
410–427 416 28 260.00–321.00 $284.09 $1,182 -23.85
454–486 483 44 307.00–315.00 $307.68 $1,486 +46.68
512–540 531 32 231.00–274.00 $244.75 $1,300
563–588 573 20 258.00–266.00 $261.71 $1,500
617–641 627 29 231.00–250.00 $243.56 $1,527 +6.56
710 710 7 210.00 $210.00 $1,491

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
349 349 32 320.00 $320.00 $1,117 +43.00
402–443 428 33 284.00–326.00 $299.08 $1,280 +18.18
456–496 475 43 264.00–287.00 $282.27 $1,341 +17.04
520–525 fancy 522 109 270.00–272.00 $270.70 $1,413
523–545 532 114 248.00–267.00 $257.23 $1,368 +13.73
582–596 590 66 241.00–255.00 $246.87 $1,457 -1.77
621 621 17 221.00 $221.00 $1,372 -10.66
614–648 637 87 237.00–248.00 $240.53 $1,532 +8.87
669 669 5 212.00 $212.00 $1,418 +21.00
660–688 674 23 219.00–225.00 $221.99 $1,496 +30.99
810 810 8 197.50 $197.50 $1,600
851 851 6 194.00 $194.00 $1,651
926 926 21 189.00 $189.00 $1,750 -11.00
1008 1008 8 183.00 $183.00 $1,845 +4.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
324 324 8 241.00 $241.00 $781 -34.00
350 350 9 250.00 $250.00 $875
424 424 15 253.00 $253.00 $1,073 +2.00
486 486 9 241.00 $241.00 $1,171 -6.00
512–523 519 15 232.00–238.00 $236.03 $1,225
625 625 13 226.00 $226.00 $1,412

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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.