Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 5, 2021

3,821 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $151.28/cwt +4.00 vs last sale · ≈ $1,486/hd at 982 lb · 737 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $147.46/cwt +6.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,228/hd at 833 lb · 389 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $150.91/cwt +6.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,179/hd at 781 lb · 312 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,821 2,462 1,931
Feeder cattle 3,821 2,462 1,931

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: A higher undertone was noted on steers up to 950 lbs. Steers 950-1000 lbs. sold 4.00 higher, a higher undertone was noted on steers over 1000 lbs. A higher undertone was noted on heifers up to 700 lbs. heifers 700-800 lbs. were 5.00-6.00 higher, a higher undertone was noted on heifers 800 lbs. and up. Demand was good, with many load lots of heavy cattle today. The next feeder cattle auction will be Aug. 12th, expecting 3000 head of feeders, starting at 9:00 am.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
540 540 4 184.00 $184.00 $994 —
615 615 98 177.00–184.75 $184.35 $1,134 +9.85
662–682 668 13 174.50–175.00 $174.66 $1,167 —
721–749 736 35 156.00–168.75 $163.86 $1,206 +2.38
752–797 790 58 153.00–163.25 $161.74 $1,278 —
819–829 826 58 151.50–158.50 $153.65 $1,269 +2.68
860–890 877 186 144.50–160.00 $154.10 $1,351 +5.98
905–937 917 284 146.50–156.60 $151.96 $1,393 +9.74
953–991 982 737 146.00–152.50 $151.28 $1,486 +4.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1058–1073 1059 135 130.50–140.00 $139.50 $1,477 —
1254 1254 11 128.00 $128.00 $1,605 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
490 490 16 169.00 $169.00 $828 —
500 500 3 171.00 $171.00 $855 —
572 572 3 160.00 $160.00 $915 —
611 611 16 165.00 $165.00 $1,008 —
670 670 5 160.00 $160.00 $1,072 —
745 745 4 132.00 $132.00 $983 —
795 795 41 151.50 $151.50 $1,204 —
849 849 5 120.50 $120.50 $1,023 —
894 894 4 135.50 $135.50 $1,211 +9.50
928–936 933 15 126.00–138.50 $134.36 $1,254 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
517–532 522 30 157.00–161.00 $159.58 $833 —
570 570 6 161.00 $161.00 $918 +4.00
605 thin fleshed 605 110 170.35 $170.35 $1,031 —
602–633 611 191 155.50–163.75 $161.99 $990 +3.49
676–694 686 166 154.50–157.10 $156.57 $1,074 +9.38
719–749 737 197 150.00–153.75 $151.99 $1,120 +5.85
773–797 781 312 148.00–151.50 $150.91 $1,179 +6.03
814–841 833 389 143.50–150.25 $147.46 $1,228 +6.83
867 867 50 145.50 $145.50 $1,261 +4.91
917–947 920 69 135.00–139.60 $139.12 $1,280 +3.37
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
438 438 16 161.00 $161.00 $705 —
513 513 23 140.00 $140.00 $718 -6.00
587 587 18 155.50–156.00 $155.58 $913 —
682 682 19 141.00 $141.00 $962 +1.00
716–744 734 25 131.00–146.00 $136.27 $1,000 +6.77
795 795 15 144.25 $144.25 $1,147 —
805–831 827 25 134.50–136.00 $134.73 $1,114 —
854–862 856 14 129.00–139.00 $131.88 $1,129 —
912 912 7 126.00 $126.00 $1,149 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1019–1040 1034 17 128.00–130.25 $129.39 $1,338 —
1126 1126 16 126.25 $126.25 $1,422 —

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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.