Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 22, 2021

815 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 815 948 0
Slaughter cattle 815 948 0

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers 1.50-2.50 lower, Dairy steers 1.25 lower, slaughter cows 3.00-3.50 lower. 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
985–1375 1136 4 97.00–106.00 $99.74 $1,133
1080–1592 1239 26 115.00–121.25 $118.36 $1,466
1230–1705 1424 201 122.00–127.50 $125.22 $1,783 -1.50
1700–1800 1741 8 115.75–117.25 $116.53 $2,029

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950 950 1 83.00 $83.00 $788
925–1040 1010 4 87.00–99.00 $92.84 $938
1114–1563 1318 113 122.50–127.75 $125.06 $1,648 -2.57
1070–1555 1335 44 113.00–121.75 $118.87 $1,587 -8.76

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145–2040 1472 75-80% 92 70.00–79.00 $73.32 $1,079
1555–1835 1660 75-80% 4 80.00–94.00 $83.55 $1,387
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1945 1393 80-85% 80 63.00–69.00 $66.51 $926
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730–1400 970 85-90% 12 25.00–48.00 $39.48 $383 -7.61
780–1440 1100 85-90% 29 51.00–62.00 $57.17 $629

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1510 1160 3 64.00–73.00 $70.57 $819
1315–1800 1634 5 100.00–106.00 $101.75 $1,663
955–2455 1682 17 78.00–97.00 $88.59 $1,490

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1210 1210 1 73.00 $73.00 $883
1160–1625 1376 7 90.00–99.00 $96.90 $1,333
1320–1677 1539 29 100.00–108.75 $104.55 $1,609 +7.64

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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.