Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 12, 2021

4,866 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $153.92/cwt +2.64 vs last sale · ≈ $1,500/hd at 975 lb · 847 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $157.15/cwt +3.05 vs last sale · ≈ $1,369/hd at 871 lb · 507 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $159.66/cwt +6.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,306/hd at 818 lb · 352 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,866 3,821 1,616
Feeder cattle 4,866 3,821 1,616

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 850 lbs. and up sold 2.00-3.00 higher. Feeder heifers 600-800 lbs. sold steady to 1.00 higher, heifers 800-850 lbs. sold 1.00 lower, a steady to lower undertone was noted on heifers over 850 lbs. Demand was good with many load lots in todays offering. Many feeders are coming to town off grass early due to a lack of rain in the area. The next feeder cattle auction will be Aug. 19th, expecting 2000 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
470–475 473 13 186.00–191.00 $189.09 $894 —
609–642 624 72 167.50–168.00 $167.78 $1,047 -16.57
677–690 684 103 165.50–177.50 $170.78 $1,168 -3.88
738 738 34 168.50 $168.50 $1,244 +4.64
768 768 31 162.00 $162.00 $1,244 +0.26
804 thin fleshed 804 66 168.10 $168.10 $1,352 —
812–836 821 286 154.50–159.75 $157.71 $1,295 +4.06
851–891 871 507 146.25–161.60 $157.15 $1,369 +3.05
905–942 924 269 147.00–159.75 $153.96 $1,423 +2.00
963–966 965 22 138.50–143.75 $139.93 $1,350 -11.35
958–988 975 825 143.00–156.30 $154.29 $1,504 +3.01
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1031–1047 1038 147 138.00–143.50 $140.51 $1,458 —
1058–1095 1074 410 137.50–143.10 $142.04 $1,526 +2.54
1113–1123 1115 185 130.00–143.00 $141.19 $1,574 —
1170 1170 10 129.25 $129.25 $1,512 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
546 546 10 152.00 $152.00 $830 —
576–595 587 25 161.00–165.75 $163.05 $957 +3.05
649 649 7 138.00 $138.00 $896 —
685–697 693 17 140.00–162.00 $156.53 $1,085 -3.47
725 725 26 158.00 $158.00 $1,146 +26.00
820 820 6 139.50 $139.50 $1,144 +19.00
861 861 16 146.00 $146.00 $1,257 +10.50
926–934 930 16 142.00–143.50 $142.66 $1,327 +8.30
999 999 6 124.00 $124.00 $1,239 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
492 492 12 169.75 $169.75 $835 —
557–596 567 42 159.00–164.00 $161.47 $916 +0.47
607–639 624 159 152.75–164.00 $160.91 $1,004 -1.08
656–697 678 333 150.00–157.50 $156.41 $1,060 -0.16
700–738 722 142 151.00–154.50 $153.47 $1,108 +1.48
757–798 788 165 149.10–156.75 $152.81 $1,204 +1.90
822 822 4 134.00 $134.00 $1,101 -13.46
806–849 830 272 143.25–149.50 $146.05 $1,212 -1.41
856–882 869 275 137.00–144.50 $142.48 $1,238 -3.02
903–947 934 88 135.50–138.00 $136.76 $1,277 -2.36
964–983 973 37 134.00–140.25 $135.84 $1,322 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1011–1021 1015 40 125.00–134.10 $129.69 $1,316 +0.30
1081–1083 1082 10 128.25 $128.25 $1,388 —
1127–1140 1137 23 114.50–123.00 $120.80 $1,373 -5.45
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
526 526 7 158.00 $158.00 $831 +18.00
563–578 568 25 153.00–154.50 $154.01 $875 -1.57
706 706 10 140.00 $140.00 $988 +3.73
755 755 4 122.00 $122.00 $921 —
842–847 845 27 130.75–137.00 $133.52 $1,128 -1.21

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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.