Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 20, 2022

652 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 652 861 656
Slaughter cattle 652 861 656

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers 1.25-1.50 lower, Dairy Steers .25-.50 higher, slaughter cows Breaker and Boners .25-.75 lower, Lean cows were 1.50 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
1095–1295 1201 10 110.00–149.00 $132.06 $1,586
1120–1620 1378 63 136.00–146.75 $144.20 $1,987
1250–1666 1484 142 147.00–155.25 $150.48 $2,233 -1.72

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1285 1161 15 110.00–136.00 $126.67 $1,471
1195–1480 1337 37 139.00–146.25 $143.26 $1,915 -9.12
1226–1570 1342 81 147.00–157.25 $150.93 $2,025 -1.45

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930–1875 1328 80-85% 59 60.00–83.00 $76.28 $1,013
1110–1730 1412 80-85% 8 60.00–69.00 $64.61 $912
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780–1490 1155 85-90% 20 40.00–55.00 $49.82 $575
880–1565 1202 85-90% 45 56.00–70.50 $64.97 $781
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1625 1452 75-80% 16 84.00–90.00 $86.52 $1,256 -0.87
1310–2175 1713 75-80% 15 92.00–100.00 $96.98 $1,661

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–1320 1039 4 55.00–76.00 $65.66 $682
935–2190 1575 21 82.00–107.00 $95.19 $1,499
1915–1965 1940 2 110.00–112.00 $111.01 $2,154

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1325 1325 1 75.00 $75.00 $994 -50.02
1180–1555 1375 10 117.00–129.00 $124.55 $1,713
1325–1592 1504 17 130.00–142.00 $134.57 $2,024

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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.