Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 31, 2022

615 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 615 608 781
Slaughter cattle 615 608 781

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers steady to .25 higher, Dairy steers .50 higher, slaughter cows Breaker and boners .75 higher, lean cows 2.00 higher. Trade active. Demand good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1195 1146 4 113.00–134.00 $126.31 $1,448 —
1175–1400 1248 24 132.00–140.00 $137.66 $1,718 —
1205–1617 1428 112 141.00–149.75 $146.76 $2,096 +0.21
1840 1840 1 134.75 $134.75 $2,479 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205 1205 1 121.00 $121.00 $1,458 —
1050–1465 1237 22 130.00–140.50 $135.89 $1,681 —
1200–1564 1338 136 142.00–149.50 $145.95 $1,953 -0.80

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1165–1905 1449 75-80% 43 80.00–86.00 $83.49 $1,210 -4.81
1215–2105 1501 75-80% 52 87.00–94.00 $90.31 $1,356 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1695 1284 80-85% 37 70.00–80.00 $74.75 $960 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1315 1115 85-90% 2 47.00–49.00 $48.18 $537 —
730–1800 1143 85-90% 28 55.00–69.00 $63.90 $730 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1835 1646 65-75% 10 96.00–110.00 $100.49 $1,654 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1795 1440 2 70.00–78.00 $74.99 $1,080 —
1025–2225 1676 15 86.00–110.00 $101.23 $1,697 —
1010–2280 1698 10 111.00–120.00 $114.90 $1,951 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1130 1130 1 113.00 $113.00 $1,277 —
1255–1630 1435 15 123.00–129.50 $126.18 $1,811 +6.43
1340–1645 1480 4 118.00–120.00 $119.08 $1,762 —

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Reading this report

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.