Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 22, 2024

1,962 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 $272.84/cwt -3.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,844/hd at 676 lb · 133 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $248.84/cwt +7.88 vs last sale · ≈ $1,948/hd at 783 lb · 133 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $311.37/cwt ≈ $1,488/hd at 478 lb · 116 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,962 4,237 2,710
Feeder cattle 1,962 4,237 2,710

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers mostly steady. Feeder heifers steady to 5.00 higher, instances of 8.00 to 12.00 higher on 550-650 lbs. Very good demand for this lighter offering, a couple longer strings but most were under 50 head. The market was extremely active, especially on those cattle in light enough weight to make yearlings of. Flesh condition ranged from light and attractive to moderate. Backgrounders are becoming less picky and are willing to buy one with a tick too much flesh as they fight to get their cattle needs secured. The front months of the Feeder Cattle futures keeps getting higher, Corn futures keep getting cheaper, which just keeps feeding the fire under the feeder cattle market.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
418 thin fleshed 418 5 384.00 $384.00 $1,605 —
430–446 433 30 348.00–354.00 $351.55 $1,522 —
468–490 479 45 348.00–363.00 $355.10 $1,701 +30.10
515–547 528 73 317.00–342.25 $329.27 $1,739 -5.41
565–587 573 52 308.00–315.00 $309.95 $1,776 +14.95
602–626 613 49 291.00–310.00 $303.18 $1,858 +2.39
625–648 643 22 276.00–281.00 $277.10 $1,782 -23.69
650–692 676 133 269.00–289.00 $272.84 $1,844 -4.35
723–734 730 80 254.00–268.75 $262.06 $1,913 -3.60
731 731 18 251.00 $251.00 $1,835 -14.66
755–797 783 133 245.00–258.50 $248.84 $1,948 +7.88
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
630 630 21 280.00 $280.00 $1,764 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
414–444 428 29 305.00–327.00 $319.55 $1,368 +8.55
450–495 478 116 290.00–319.00 $311.37 $1,488 —
501–547 528 70 274.00–305.50 $293.57 $1,550 +5.95
551–590 561 54 276.00–293.00 $288.81 $1,620 +27.95
600–625 616 91 268.50–283.50 $274.72 $1,692 +23.72
656–688 673 70 251.50–261.50 $254.49 $1,713 -4.86
725–727 726 55 241.00–249.00 $244.78 $1,777 -9.30
765–789 776 24 227.50–234.00 $230.97 $1,792 -17.27
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
697 697 5 250.50 $250.50 $1,746 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
556 556 9 291.00 $291.00 $1,618 -11.49

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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.