Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, November 14, 2024

1,050 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 1,050 1,013 800
Slaughter cattle 1,050 1,013 800

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers were 2.00-2.75 lower, slaughter cows Breakers and Boners 4.50-4.75 lower, Lean cows were 2.00 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
1010–1195 1129 8 160.00–204.00 $179.45 $2,026
1135–1588 1377 22 176.00–183.50 $181.95 $2,505
1232–1686 1473 303 183.75–189.75 $186.71 $2,750 -2.02

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1140 1025 11 178.00–205.00 $186.24 $1,909
1053–1550 1226 21 175.00–183.75 $181.47 $2,225
1112–1650 1331 261 184.00–189.00 $186.12 $2,477 +3.02

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–995 968 75-80% 2 170.00–189.00 $179.23 $1,735
1190–1480 1318 75-80% 16 120.00–156.00 $133.71 $1,762
1240–1900 1444 75-80% 28 120.00–128.00 $123.44 $1,782
1225–1750 1483 75-80% 8 107.00–120.00 $114.20 $1,694 -14.16
1320–1855 1559 75-80% 31 129.00–145.00 $133.93 $2,088
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
890–985 935 80-85% 4 117.00–171.00 $136.06 $1,272 -37.25
1010–1330 1116 80-85% 17 110.00–178.00 $131.50 $1,468 -3.00
1020–1750 1238 80-85% 30 110.00–119.00 $114.25 $1,414
1225–1685 1336 80-85% 10 100.00–109.00 $106.07 $1,417 -0.64
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
705–975 891 85-90% 7 80.00–102.00 $91.47 $815
605–1325 1096 85-90% 20 50.00–90.00 $73.66 $807 -4.36
1020–1450 1154 85-90% 26 95.00–109.50 $102.18 $1,179

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1245 1190 2 154.00–165.00 $159.25 $1,895
985–1745 1365 2 109.00–110.00 $109.64 $1,497
1435–2310 1803 15 125.00–164.00 $147.93 $2,667 -1.19
2015–2230 2123 2 166.00–167.00 $166.47 $3,534 -2.84

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1265–1445 1335 4 117.00–140.00 $132.16 $1,764
1190–1685 1452 7 150.00–163.50 $158.63 $2,303
1345–1785 1534 29 165.00–179.00 $169.04 $2,593 +3.23

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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.