Cattle Market Pulse

Illinois Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Illinois · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, March 16, 2026

268 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Illinois Weekly Cattle Auction Summary report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 268 2,224 767
Feeder cattle 1,308
Slaughter cattle 268 763 767
Replacement cattle 153

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990 990 1 181.00 $181.00 $1,792
1030–1270 1136 9 215.00–230.00 $226.13 $2,569 +58.86
1140–1395 1268 2 201.00–226.00 $214.76 $2,723
250–1605 1336 57 231.00–242.00 $238.18 $3,182

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1275 1120 3 225.00–230.00 $228.10 $2,555
1160–1340 1240 3 200.00–221.00 $213.44 $2,647
1085–1565 1251 53 235.00–242.00 $238.76 $2,987

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1455 1373 4 221.00–230.00 $226.58 $3,111

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1250–1310 1280 2 200.00 $200.00 $2,560

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340–1430 1386 7 195.00–198.00 $195.88 $2,715
1460–1465 1463 2 198.00 $198.00 $2,897 +7.34
1275–1685 1532 51 200.00–210.00 $203.51 $3,118 +2.50

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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.