Cattle Market Pulse

Kalona Livestock Slaughter Cattle Auction Market Report

Kalona, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 27, 2026

820 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 820 518 0
Slaughter cattle 820 518 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week, Choice steers and heifers were 6.00-7.00 lower, Dairy steers 6.00 lower, slaughter cow were 6.50-12.50 lower. Demand moderate.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1295 1160 10 202.00–250.00 $215.51 $2,500 —
1160–1352 1276 37 213.00–229.00 $218.45 $2,787 —
1160–1565 1382 57 209.00–217.50 $214.68 $2,967 —
1245–1661 1504 213 218.00–226.50 $220.64 $3,318 —
1761–1800 1774 8 217.00–221.50 $219.84 $3,900 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–1198 1094 32 205.00–237.00 $220.71 $2,415 —
1095–1480 1237 45 210.00–217.00 $214.84 $2,658 -6.20
1203–1610 1341 79 217.00–226.00 $219.21 $2,940 -7.63

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1300 1107 80-85% 19 155.00–207.00 $169.75 $1,879 —
1065–1570 1253 80-85% 53 151.00–163.00 $158.20 $1,982 —
1285–1645 1438 80-85% 5 141.00–153.00 $148.46 $2,135 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–995 943 85-90% 8 123.00–133.00 $128.18 $1,209 —
1025–1060 1047 85-90% 3 112.00–114.00 $113.33 $1,187 —
1015–1615 1174 85-90% 30 120.00–151.00 $137.03 $1,609 -6.26
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1370 1271 75-80% 8 171.00–207.00 $181.56 $2,308 —
1400–1635 1488 75-80% 3 150.00–156.00 $152.84 $2,274 —
1200–1900 1491 75-80% 23 159.00–173.00 $166.67 $2,485 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1235 1180 3 175.00–185.00 $181.13 $2,137 —
1310–2195 1701 18 190.00–225.00 $208.85 $3,553 —
1445–2100 1773 2 150.00–158.00 $154.74 $2,744 -9.40
1815 1815 1 234.00 $234.00 $4,247 —

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Beef Dairy Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1243–1426 1310 9 210.00–212.00 $211.60 $2,772 —
1380–1631 1520 15 214.00–221.00 $218.86 $3,327 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1542 1435 4 195.00–209.00 $204.85 $2,940 —
1318–1687 1579 17 215.00–221.50 $219.42 $3,465 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1352 1352 2 183.00 $183.00 $2,474 —
1310–1590 1492 11 195.00–207.50 $204.64 $3,053 —
1355–1710 1561 12 209.50–214.50 $212.10 $3,311 —

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Reading this report

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.