Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 15, 2024

665 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 665 792 897
Slaughter cattle 665 792 897

Slaughter cattle sale today: No comparison due to last week sale 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
1072–1163 1102 9 163.00–172.50 $169.87 $1,872
1065–1491 1375 17 170.00–179.50 $176.44 $2,426
1335–1695 1483 158 180.00–190.00 $185.23 $2,747 +7.28
1701–1815 1721 14 178.00–186.00 $183.37 $3,156 +10.64

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–1496 1353 13 171.00–179.00 $176.39 $2,387 -1.11
1130–1630 1386 127 180.00–190.00 $186.06 $2,579 +8.56

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1965 1369 75-80% 54 102.00–109.00 $105.93 $1,450
1160–1800 1476 75-80% 41 110.00–119.50 $113.59 $1,677
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1340 1172 80-85% 14 100.00–109.50 $105.10 $1,232
990–1610 1238 80-85% 33 95.00–101.00 $98.82 $1,223
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805–1230 1063 85-90% 8 35.00–63.00 $47.17 $501
720–1405 1112 85-90% 29 66.00–94.00 $83.74 $931

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
902–1150 1036 8 120.00–145.00 $137.80 $1,428
1350–2045 1723 17 114.00–129.00 $123.52 $2,128
1455–2035 1745 2 100.00–106.00 $102.50 $1,789
1455–2325 1935 6 131.00–140.00 $133.58 $2,585

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
865–1265 1042 5 110.00–122.50 $116.53 $1,214
1385–1600 1516 4 149.00–151.50 $150.16 $2,276 +2.94
1440–1950 1595 35 152.50–162.00 $156.31 $2,493

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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.