Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 18, 2024

421 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 421 1,107 639
Slaughter cattle 421 1,107 639

Slaughter cattle sale today: No comparison due to sale not reported 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
1130–1560 1410 17 170.00–179.50 $176.65 $2,491
1195–1670 1505 111 180.00–189.50 $186.79 $2,811 +10.01

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995–1055 1025 2 165.00–166.00 $165.51 $1,696
1115–1485 1259 14 169.00–179.50 $175.31 $2,207
1186–1608 1396 83 181.00–190.00 $186.87 $2,609

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1700 1452 75-80% 63 100.00–109.50 $105.32 $1,529 +6.79
1250–1765 1516 75-80% 14 110.00–119.00 $112.61 $1,707
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
900–1520 1152 80-85% 13 93.00–99.00 $96.74 $1,114
995–1605 1281 80-85% 20 100.00–107.00 $103.76 $1,329
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
740–810 775 85-90% 2 52.50–55.00 $53.81 $417
935–1370 1161 85-90% 8 70.00–91.00 $80.94 $940

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1530–1795 1648 5 101.00–116.00 $106.68 $1,758
1945–2235 2078 3 129.00–136.00 $132.83 $2,760

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300 1300 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,625
1530 1530 1 148.50 $148.50 $2,272
1270–1845 1595 3 150.50–156.00 $152.82 $2,437 -0.83

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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.