Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 25, 2024

1,443 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $272.59/cwt -3.31 vs last sale · ≈ $1,701/hd at 624 lb · 180 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $273.47/cwt +7.44 vs last sale · ≈ $1,865/hd at 682 lb · 119 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $335.43/cwt +1.58 vs last sale · ≈ $1,925/hd at 574 lb · 115 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,443 5,483 2,158
Feeder cattle 1,443 5,483 2,158

Compared to two weeks ago: Steer and heifer calves traded mostly steady on few comparable sales. Feeder steers sold 4.00 to 10.00 lower. Feeder heifers 3.00 to 7.00 higher with exception to 600-650 lbs trading 3.00 lower. Good demand on lighter calves headed to grass. Demand moderate on feeder steers. Fesh condition average to attractive. Offering consisted of smaller packages with a few bigger strings mixed in. Feeder and Live cattle futures closed up significantly today. Fat cattle trades ranging from 184.00-185.00 so far this week.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
466–473 471 51 350.00–370.50 $356.77 $1,680 -10.28
501 501 4 357.50 $357.50 $1,791 +4.18
573 thin fleshed 573 9 354.00 $354.00 $2,028
551–593 574 106 322.00–350.00 $333.85 $1,916 ±0.00
621–641 627 43 293.00–323.50 $314.46 $1,972 -4.10
673–696 682 49 286.00–292.00 $291.00 $1,985 -16.07
670–696 684 25 280.00 $280.00 $1,915 -27.07
703–742 728 53 268.00–281.00 $272.35 $1,983 -10.82
744 744 11 261.50 $261.50 $1,946
760 760 14 271.00 $271.00 $2,060 +3.85
841 841 8 235.00 $235.00 $1,976 -14.40
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 13 345.00 $345.00 $1,363
491 491 18 327.00 $327.00 $1,606 -21.84
650–678 671 17 280.00–287.00 $281.59 $1,889 -8.41
715 715 5 246.00 $246.00 $1,759 -18.00
811 811 7 226.00 $226.00 $1,833

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
491 491 9 299.00 $299.00 $1,468 -27.73
512 512 16 274.50 $274.50 $1,405 -19.38
500–548 536 96 290.00–311.00 $293.99 $1,576 +0.11
555–581 567 45 283.50–292.00 $288.36 $1,635 +5.11
605–635 624 180 267.50–276.50 $272.59 $1,701 -3.31
663–692 682 119 262.50–280.00 $273.47 $1,865 +8.47
704 704 28 234.00 $234.00 $1,647 -19.18
704–745 729 56 253.50–268.00 $256.62 $1,871 -10.52
755 755 5 244.00 $244.00 $1,842 -4.59
786 786 10 244.00 $244.00 $1,918 +11.00
801–803 802 18 234.00–238.00 $236.89 $1,900 -2.93
866 866 8 218.00 $218.00 $1,888 -10.00
876–893 879 24 220.00–226.00 $224.98 $1,978 -3.02
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345 345 12 310.00 $310.00 $1,070
423–432 431 37 305.00–305.50 $305.46 $1,317
459 459 12 286.00 $286.00 $1,313
635 635 5 241.00 $241.00 $1,530
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1114 1114 4 184.00 $184.00 $2,050

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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.