Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 5, 2024

790 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 790 973 1,007
Slaughter cattle 790 973 1,007

Slaughter cattle sale today: No comparison due to no sale 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
980–1315 1192 19 143.00–195.50 $187.64 $2,237
1230–1333 1272 16 183.00–190.50 $187.72 $2,388
1215–1595 1411 74 180.00–189.50 $185.82 $2,622 +5.82
1360–1680 1530 205 190.00–201.00 $192.73 $2,949
1700–2065 1807 14 177.00–192.00 $185.55 $3,353 +3.58

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1063 1063 3 176.00 $176.00 $1,871 +7.71
965–1175 1111 6 156.00–186.00 $170.91 $1,899
1140–1530 1304 106 179.00–189.00 $186.56 $2,433
1185–1675 1404 182 190.00–201.75 $193.52 $2,717

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1582–1783 1642 10 180.00–195.75 $190.62 $3,130

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1517–1810 1632 18 170.00–192.50 $186.56 $3,045

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1375 1257 3 117.00–135.00 $124.81 $1,569
1210–1670 1447 8 155.00–163.00 $159.67 $2,310 +0.38
1368–1670 1509 15 164.00–173.00 $168.82 $2,547
1955–2190 2049 4 160.00–168.00 $164.49 $3,370

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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.