Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 8, 2020

2,362 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Mitchell Livestock Auction report →

light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $136.33/cwt ≈ $1,136/hd at 833 lb · 355 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $142.16/cwt ≈ $1,321/hd at 929 lb · 344 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $132.11/cwt ≈ $1,134/hd at 858 lb · 202 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,362 2,402 2,452
Feeder cattle 2,362 — 2,452

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: On steers up to 700 lbs. a lower undertone was noted. Steers 700-900 lbs. a higher undertone was noted. Steers 900-1000 lbs. were 4.00-5.00 higher. Heifers 800-900 lbs. sold steady to 3.00 higher. Many load lots in todays offering. Demand was good. The next feeder cattle sale will be Oct.15th, expecting 2000 head, starting at 10:00 am.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
378 378 9 187.00 $187.00 $707
470 470 10 173.50 $173.50 $815
538 538 22 165.50 $165.50 $890
558–581 570 16 151.00–156.00 $153.45 $875
679 679 10 154.00 $154.00 $1,046
704–740 711 187 153.35–157.00 $154.33 $1,097
750 750 63 149.50 $149.50 $1,121
804 thin fleshed 804 120 154.00 $154.00 $1,238
823 823 9 125.50 $125.50 $1,033
815–842 835 61 143.25–148.00 $146.81 $1,226
860–881 868 148 135.00–143.00 $139.98 $1,215
897 897 3 127.50 $127.50 $1,144
925–931 929 344 137.85–143.75 $142.16 $1,321
953–999 983 79 133.75–138.85 $137.14 $1,348
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1002–1022 1016 164 127.00–138.35 $137.09 $1,393
1063 1063 26 121.75 $121.75 $1,294
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
468–494 480 18 167.00–168.00 $167.54 $804
578–581 579 15 143.00–145.00 $144.33 $836
834 834 5 132.50 $132.50 $1,105
855–860 857 7 127.00–129.00 $127.86 $1,096
970 970 7 115.00 $115.00 $1,116

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
448 448 8 150.00 $150.00 $672
471 471 5 148.00 $148.00 $697
546 546 7 146.00 $146.00 $797
628–641 629 89 141.50–146.25 $145.71 $917
825–842 833 355 134.00–139.50 $136.33 $1,136
851–861 858 198 130.75–133.00 $132.51 $1,137
881 881 4 112.50 $112.50 $991
927–944 935 118 121.00–126.50 $125.59 $1,174
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
477–497 493 45 141.00–144.50 $143.50 $707
518 518 5 138.00 $138.00 $715
560 560 10 140.00 $140.00 $784
615–640 637 26 134.00–135.50 $135.33 $862
707–726 721 18 125.00–132.50 $130.46 $941
840 840 3 131.00 $131.00 $1,100
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1016–1026 1023 72 112.00–124.75 $120.41 $1,232
1056 1056 6 123.00 $123.00 $1,299
1136 1136 4 101.00 $101.00 $1,147

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
878 878 16 123.00 $123.00 $1,080

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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.