Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 15, 2020

1,782 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $130.68/cwt -1.43 vs last sale · ≈ $1,137/hd at 870 lb · 570 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $137.28/cwt -4.88 vs last sale · ≈ $1,275/hd at 929 lb · 269 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $140.89/cwt -9.46 vs last sale · ≈ $1,181/hd at 838 lb · 116 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,782 2,362 3,338
Feeder cattle 1,782 2,362 3,338

Compared to last week: A lower undertone was noted on steers today, steers 900-950 lbs. were 4.00 lower. A lower undertone was noted on heifers also, heifers 850-900 lbs. were 1.00 lower. Many load lots in todays offering. Demand was good. The next feeder cattle sale will be Oct. 22nd, expecting 2500 head of cattle, starting at 10:00 am.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
737 737 11 149.75 $149.75 $1,104 -4.58
747 747 6 130.00 $130.00 $971
756 value added 756 21 151.25 $151.25 $1,143
775–791 777 44 138.60–143.50 $139.17 $1,081 -10.33
826 value added 826 22 146.25 $146.25 $1,208
826–845 841 94 138.50–143.50 $139.63 $1,174 -7.18
886–889 887 73 134.25–135.75 $135.19 $1,199 +7.69
904–944 929 269 134.10–139.50 $137.28 $1,275 -4.88
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1038 1038 27 131.25 $131.25 $1,362 -5.84
1198 1198 28 111.00 $111.00 $1,330
1356 1356 12 105.25 $105.25 $1,427
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
476 476 15 154.00 $154.00 $733 -13.54
572 572 6 141.00 $141.00 $807 -3.33
600 600 5 150.00 $150.00 $900
792 792 10 137.50 $137.50 $1,089
893 893 13 125.25 $125.25 $1,118
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1217 1217 5 100.00 $100.00 $1,217

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
521 521 7 141.00 $141.00 $735 -5.00
574 574 75 139.00 $139.00 $798
656 656 83 139.60 $139.60 $916
788 788 19 134.25 $134.25 $1,058
837 837 48 133.00 $133.00 $1,113 -3.33
852–888 870 570 128.00–133.00 $130.68 $1,137 +18.18
915–916 915 32 130.75–132.00 $130.91 $1,198 +5.32
956 956 9 101.50 $101.50 $970
951–979 966 15 126.75–130.00 $128.24 $1,239
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
446 446 8 146.50 $146.50 $653
518 518 4 139.00 $139.00 $720 +1.00
618 618 12 135.00 $135.00 $834 -0.33
705 705 4 120.00 $120.00 $846 -10.46
762 762 7 123.00 $123.00 $937
808–849 822 21 115.00–122.00 $118.25 $972 -12.75
929 929 24 110.00 $110.00 $1,022
963 963 22 100.00 $100.00 $963
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1038 1038 3 116.50 $116.50 $1,209 -3.91
1058 1058 38 111.10 $111.10 $1,175 -11.90
1115 1115 4 115.00 $115.00 $1,282 +14.00
1194 1194 34 106.00 $106.00 $1,266

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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.