Cattle Market Pulse

Stockmen's Livestock Exchange Market Report

Dickinson, North Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 12, 2024

3,410 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $336.71/cwt +7.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,943/hd at 577 lb · 475 head
light 5-weight M&L 1 steers $360.76/cwt +9.04 vs last sale · ≈ $1,876/hd at 520 lb · 373 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $380.72/cwt -0.13 vs last sale · ≈ $1,820/hd at 478 lb · 228 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,410 3,658 2,660
Feeder cattle 3,410 3,658 2,660

Compared to last week: Steers 400 to 500 lbs. 5 to 10 higher, Steers 500 to 600 lbs. 10 to 15 higher, Steers 600 to 700 lbs. steady to 5 lower. Heifers 400 to 500 lbs. steady to 5 lower, Heifers 500 to 600 lbs. steady, Heifers 600 to 700 lbs. steady. Not enough yearlings for a good test. The demand was very good. The order buyers had very good demand. The local feeders were present, but the sale had a small offering of feeder cattle under 400 lbs. The flesh condition continues to be very attractive. This sale had a large offering of weaned calves. This was the last USDA reported sale for 2024. The next USDA reported sale at Stockmens will be 1/09/2025.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
318 318 5 503.00 $503.00 $1,600 +16.94
355 355 12 505.00 $505.00 $1,793
402–444 421 99 397.00–450.00 $431.36 $1,816 +26.49
453–499 478 228 367.50–400.00 $380.72 $1,820 +5.23
500–549 520 373 340.00–371.00 $360.76 $1,876 +9.04
560–595 577 475 323.00–342.25 $336.71 $1,943 +14.43
612–647 634 173 298.50–318.00 $313.41 $1,987 -1.74
653–685 667 118 285.00–297.50 $290.84 $1,940 -7.06
724–731 728 64 278.00–285.00 $282.39 $2,056 +6.76
761 761 20 275.00 $275.00 $2,093 +8.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 11 334.00 $334.00 $1,670
602 602 16 300.00 $300.00 $1,806

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
346 346 7 393.00 $393.00 $1,360 +44.00
366–390 382 51 361.50–379.00 $366.75 $1,401 +17.86
402–438 423 132 335.00–365.00 $347.28 $1,469 +12.47
477–492 489 157 314.50–326.00 $322.52 $1,577 -9.11
500–539 514 226 284.00–324.00 $314.27 $1,615 +1.60
571–593 577 74 282.00–303.00 $296.39 $1,710 -4.16
605–613 611 120 278.00–286.00 $284.48 $1,738 +1.85
654–689 669 58 260.00–268.00 $266.08 $1,780
714–729 718 33 244.50–252.50 $249.67 $1,793 +3.67
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
505–541 523 10 290.00–305.50 $298.02 $1,559
598 598 14 242.00 $242.00 $1,447
799 799 43 248.75 $248.75 $1,988
822 822 6 248.00 $248.00 $2,039

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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.