Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 20, 2025

586 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Head itemized in priced lots 586

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080–1270 1175 2 196.00–200.00 $197.84 $2,325
1120–1675 1280 21 200.00–209.00 $205.69 $2,633
1180–1688 1466 95 210.00–216.75 $214.69 $3,147 +4.39
1405–1683 1537 89 217.00–223.50 $219.55 $3,374 +0.86
1705–1875 1755 8 217.00–219.50 $218.43 $3,833 +6.46
1780–1890 1847 9 198.00–209.00 $204.50 $3,777

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1225 1082 6 172.50–198.00 $192.75 $2,086
1042–1510 1222 16 200.00–210.00 $205.16 $2,507
1225–1555 1367 45 210.00–217.50 $214.33 $2,930 +2.39
1215–1640 1421 61 217.00–222.00 $219.96 $3,126

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125–1540 1323 75-80% 37 140.00–195.00 $159.41 $2,109 +4.18
1205–1915 1487 75-80% 23 136.00–147.50 $142.32 $2,116 +5.23
1320–1710 1502 75-80% 27 148.00–168.00 $154.91 $2,327
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–950 918 80-85% 4 140.00–207.50 $181.08 $1,662 +32.91
1000–1195 1106 80-85% 18 129.00–200.00 $151.06 $1,671
1030–1975 1298 80-85% 29 122.00–139.00 $131.78 $1,711
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
650–985 873 85-90% 4 110.00–140.00 $124.74 $1,089
875–1265 1093 85-90% 5 81.00–104.00 $94.06 $1,028
1050–1325 1178 85-90% 8 109.00–126.00 $117.35 $1,382 -0.10

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1255–2360 1737 30 130.00–177.50 $164.89 $2,864
1405–2135 1766 9 182.00–195.00 $187.25 $3,307 +77.87

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1260–1265 1263 2 147.50–165.00 $156.23 $1,973
1410–1920 1539 12 174.50–179.50 $176.54 $2,717
1280–1880 1588 26 180.00–188.00 $184.21 $2,925

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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.