Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 29, 2021

3,900 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $130.08/cwt +5.98 vs last sale · ≈ $1,012/hd at 778 lb · 415 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $119.16/cwt -1.89 vs last sale · ≈ $1,034/hd at 868 lb · 375 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $129.96/cwt -0.45 vs last sale · ≈ $940/hd at 723 lb · 302 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,900 3,043 3,468
Feeder cattle 3,900 3,043 3,468

Compared to last week: A lower undertone was noted on steers up to 850 lbs. Steers 850-1000 lbs. sold steady to 4.00 lower, steers 1100-1150 lbs. sold up 3.00. A unevenly steady undertone was noted on heifers up to 750 lbs. heifers 750-950 lbs. sold unevenly steady. Todays auction consisted of many light feeders going to grass. Many load lots of the heavy feeders. Demand was good. The next feeder cattle auction will be May 6th, expecting 3000 head of feeders, starting at 9:00 am.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
359 359 13 196.00 $196.00 $704
436 436 6 174.00 $174.00 $759 -27.00
475 475 26 175.00 $175.00 $831
518–542 533 54 165.50–170.00 $167.58 $893
545 unweaned 545 14 161.00 $161.00 $877
560–596 575 173 154.50–167.00 $162.06 $932 -14.94
604–639 626 37 153.50–154.50 $153.95 $964 -13.67
625–638 632 7 138.00–149.00 $142.66 $902 -24.96
654–696 677 95 147.00–153.00 $150.66 $1,020 -6.40
725–745 734 11 140.50–151.00 $146.16 $1,073 -1.10
762–784 770 67 135.50–140.50 $136.35 $1,050 -3.88
814 thin fleshed 814 10 140.00 $140.00 $1,140
812–849 826 37 122.50–134.50 $128.45 $1,061 -4.57
855–892 876 259 122.50–130.75 $128.04 $1,122 -4.06
918–947 939 208 116.00–129.50 $126.71 $1,190 -4.62
959–974 968 100 118.25–123.50 $121.42 $1,175 -0.77
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1039 1039 34 117.75 $117.75 $1,223 -5.87
1057–1082 1064 82 115.00–120.25 $119.47 $1,271 +2.97
1107 1107 195 119.90 $119.90 $1,327 +3.21
1368 1368 3 111.25 $111.25 $1,522
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
461 461 4 171.00 $171.00 $788
542 542 7 164.00 $164.00 $889 -3.00
569 569 4 142.00 $142.00 $808 -22.00
609–649 629 10 145.00–147.50 $146.21 $920
668–691 673 49 137.50–142.00 $138.38 $931 -5.12
723–745 743 53 131.00–137.00 $136.45 $1,014 +0.95
757–772 763 21 123.00–124.00 $123.39 $941
809 809 4 113.00 $113.00 $914 -16.75

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
268 268 4 192.50 $192.50 $516
372 372 12 176.00 $176.00 $655 -5.00
422 422 5 167.00 $167.00 $705
460–497 483 39 153.00–161.00 $156.97 $758
488 unweaned 488 13 150.00 $150.00 $732
502–540 525 74 140.00–153.50 $148.00 $777
550–586 567 69 137.00–147.00 $142.76 $809 -6.74
579 unweaned 579 8 131.00 $131.00 $758
589 589 4 137.00 $137.00 $807 -12.50
603–640 628 196 136.00–145.00 $140.68 $883 +2.21
660–686 673 75 126.00–135.00 $132.68 $893 -1.15
690 690 8 121.00 $121.00 $835 -12.83
702–746 721 254 124.00–133.75 $129.39 $933 -1.02
734 734 48 133.00 $133.00 $976 +2.59
754–786 767 183 135.00–137.00 $135.83 $1,042 +11.35
762–798 786 232 124.00–126.50 $125.54 $987 +1.06
834–846 839 83 113.75–123.00 $119.64 $1,004 -2.27
853–882 868 375 117.00–121.10 $119.16 $1,034 -1.89
900–930 921 208 113.75–118.00 $116.33 $1,071 -0.82
958–999 960 68 114.00–115.50 $115.41 $1,108 -0.78
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
370 370 4 172.00 $172.00 $636
414–442 438 30 143.00–152.00 $150.87 $661 -5.13
492 492 3 152.00 $152.00 $748 -3.97
528–545 533 54 126.00–143.00 $137.95 $735 -13.01
563–588 574 34 126.00–140.00 $133.85 $768
715 715 3 120.50 $120.50 $862 -0.47
764 764 5 113.00 $113.00 $863

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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.