Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 18, 2021

3,692 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $144.65/cwt +5.78 vs last sale · ≈ $1,120/hd at 774 lb · 692 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $147.59/cwt +5.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,076/hd at 729 lb · 340 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $153.92/cwt +5.38 vs last sale · ≈ $1,027/hd at 667 lb · 310 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,692 3,740 5,709
Feeder cattle 3,692 3,740 5,709

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 600-700 lbs. sold steady to 4.00 higher, steers 750-900 lbs. sold 3.00-6.00 higher. Feeder heifers 500-700 lbs. sold 2.00-6.00 higher, heifers 700-800 lbs. sold steady to 3.00 higher. Demand was good. Sold many good Hereford and Hereford influenced feeders today. The next feeder cattle auction will be Feb. 25th, expecting 6000 head of feeders, starting at 8:30 am.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
465 465 3 179.00 $179.00 $832 -3.82
501–549 528 109 161.00–177.00 $170.02 $898 -8.15
557–597 568 73 156.50–171.00 $167.08 $949 +4.92
607–642 630 184 150.50–162.00 $157.88 $995 -0.68
630 thin fleshed 630 85 165.35 $165.35 $1,042
650–697 667 310 142.25–157.75 $153.92 $1,027 +4.86
709 thin fleshed 709 14 153.00 $153.00 $1,085
703–747 730 326 142.50–151.00 $147.36 $1,076 +4.63
750–793 771 576 139.00–149.50 $145.43 $1,121 +6.56
768–791 783 56 130.00–137.75 $136.20 $1,066 -2.67
799 thin fleshed 799 60 145.10 $145.10 $1,159
807 807 3 136.00 $136.00 $1,098 +7.75
808–843 825 100 131.25–142.60 $140.21 $1,157 +11.96
831 fancy 831 116 143.10 $143.10 $1,189
860–898 875 177 128.00–139.75 $137.20 $1,200 +3.87
910–945 919 187 128.00–135.75 $132.14 $1,214 +4.64
962–968 963 27 125.00–127.50 $127.13 $1,224 -0.62
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
431–438 435 9 164.00–175.00 $168.85 $734
457 457 3 161.00 $161.00 $736
573 573 3 156.00 $156.00 $894
703 703 9 136.75 $136.75 $961
841 841 4 130.00 $130.00 $1,093 -1.00

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
411 411 7 168.00 $168.00 $690 +8.79
459–464 462 19 155.50–160.00 $157.88 $729 -7.12
508–514 511 65 145.00–156.00 $152.49 $779 +4.12
554–597 571 98 142.75–150.50 $148.05 $845 +5.46
564–575 573 50 137.50–139.00 $138.76 $795 -3.83
600–648 617 187 136.50–146.50 $141.97 $876 +2.05
650–699 672 206 135.50–151.50 $139.45 $937 +4.24
722 722 4 123.50 $123.50 $892 -7.66
708–738 730 104 126.50–134.00 $130.87 $955 +5.62
770–772 770 47 126.25–130.25 $129.91 $1,000 +3.18
778–797 786 40 135.25–137.00 $136.00 $1,069 +9.27
807–844 836 42 121.50–129.00 $123.82 $1,035 +1.07
899 899 32 126.25 $126.25 $1,135 +3.58
949 949 4 114.00 $114.00 $1,082 -9.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
373 373 3 168.50 $168.50 $629
450 450 7 145.00 $145.00 $652 -8.00
504–530 525 40 147.50–152.00 $151.24 $794 +9.24
568–580 572 18 132.50–139.50 $137.09 $784 +7.19
619 619 6 121.00 $121.00 $749 -10.60
666–680 670 25 129.50–134.50 $132.60 $888
834 834 4 111.50 $111.50 $930

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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.