Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 23, 2023

757 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 757 746 608
Slaughter cattle 757 746 608

Slaughter cattle sale today: No comparison due to last week not reported. 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
1255–1330 1293 2 139.00–145.00 $142.09 $1,837
1280–1680 1415 17 155.00–164.00 $161.15 $2,280 -9.71
1232–1725 1426 181 165.00–175.00 $169.46 $2,416 -1.40

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1075 1068 2 141.00–148.00 $144.48 $1,543
1085–1480 1308 34 153.50–164.00 $159.28 $2,083
1130–1640 1364 136 165.00–176.00 $171.87 $2,344 -1.41

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1950 1363 75-80% 59 99.00–107.00 $102.65 $1,399
1245–1880 1449 75-80% 45 107.50–115.00 $110.14 $1,596
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–1740 1231 80-85% 55 87.00–98.00 $94.12 $1,159 +1.71
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780–1510 1062 85-90% 20 76.00–89.00 $84.60 $898
760–1335 1086 85-90% 4 70.00–73.00 $71.73 $779

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830–1780 1347 8 95.00–114.00 $106.84 $1,439
1610–2445 1961 12 115.00–130.00 $120.09 $2,355

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080 1080 1 116.00 $116.00 $1,253
1305–1655 1497 7 140.00–142.00 $140.88 $2,109
1390–1755 1589 25 144.00–154.00 $147.85 $2,349

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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.