Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 3, 2020

1,464 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,464 1,587 0
Slaughter cattle 1,464 1,587 0

Slaughter cattle sale today: No comparison due to no sale last week. Trade active. Demand good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1365 1121 20 86.00–101.25 $97.50 $1,093
1085–1542 1323 77 95.00–103.50 $100.39 $1,328
1200–1640 1453 456 104.00–111.00 $108.16 $1,572 +3.98

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
920–1190 1070 9 89.00–99.00 $96.19 $1,029
1015–1555 1263 54 97.00–103.75 $101.70 $1,284
1120–1531 1351 275 104.50–111.50 $108.62 $1,467

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1830 1364 80-85% 100 47.00–59.00 $52.73 $719
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755–1770 1139 85-90% 26 20.00–39.00 $34.96 $398
915–1690 1219 85-90% 48 40.00–46.00 $43.60 $531 +9.87
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1790 1450 75-80% 28 60.00–69.00 $63.15 $916

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–2350 1856 12 50.00–69.00 $63.72 $1,183
1350–2385 1937 18 70.00–82.00 $76.52 $1,482

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1280 1242 12 66.00–83.00 $77.44 $962 +1.44
1195–1579 1408 20 80.00–89.50 $86.56 $1,219 +0.91
1260–1675 1510 46 90.00–97.00 $93.10 $1,406

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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.