Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, December 21, 2023

3,072 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $264.55/cwt +4.84 vs last sale · ≈ $1,772/hd at 670 lb · 248 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $221.26/cwt -6.34 vs last sale · ≈ $2,002/hd at 905 lb · 224 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $263.02/cwt -15.02 vs last sale · ≈ $1,656/hd at 630 lb · 205 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,072 3,226 6,957
Feeder cattle 3,072 3,226 6,957

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 600-750 lbs. slod 3.00-8.00 higher, 800 lbs. and up sold unevenly steady . Feeder heifers 550-650 lbs. sold 6.00 higher, 650-700 lbs. sold 1.00 lower, 900-950 lbs. sold 7.00 higher. Demand was good. Had one feature consignment of 600 head of feeders. The next feeder cattle auction will be Dec. 28th, expecting 4000 head of feeders, starting at 9:30 am, with World Champion Livestock Auctioneer Jacob Massey auctioneering. "MERRY CHRISTMAS " From Mitchell Livestock Market

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
406–445 423 7 324.00–345.00 $335.53 $1,419 +2.07
479–482 481 12 313.00–317.00 $314.66 $1,514 +7.62
501–544 533 88 290.00–308.50 $304.38 $1,622 +6.05
555–562 558 80 274.00–300.00 $292.54 $1,632 +6.31
597 597 3 263.00 $263.00 $1,570 -23.23
600–648 626 157 259.00–276.00 $266.70 $1,670 +7.90
642 642 48 251.00 $251.00 $1,611 -7.80
653–696 670 248 255.00–271.50 $264.55 $1,772 +8.66
703–735 727 190 241.00–253.25 $250.51 $1,821 +20.51
751–770 762 77 237.00–246.25 $240.46 $1,832 +10.46
762 762 8 210.00 $210.00 $1,600 -20.00
823–845 830 53 223.00–225.00 $224.39 $1,862 -7.06
872 872 14 211.00 $211.00 $1,840 -0.61
904–908 905 224 215.00–224.00 $221.26 $2,002 -6.34
968 968 65 205.00 $205.00 $1,984 +12.00
983 983 50 215.00 $215.00 $2,113 +22.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
368 368 3 322.50 $322.50 $1,187 +57.50
455 455 5 301.00 $301.00 $1,370 +22.09
628–649 641 11 240.00–245.00 $243.22 $1,559 -5.78
724 724 14 226.00 $226.00 $1,636 +25.09
791 791 23 212.00 $212.00 $1,677 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1101 1101 7 166.00 $166.00 $1,828 —
1189 1189 23 167.25 $167.25 $1,989 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
428–435 433 17 295.00–296.00 $295.71 $1,280 +18.71
458–478 471 23 272.00–274.00 $273.32 $1,287 -10.45
502–507 506 42 261.00–277.00 $263.27 $1,332 +5.56
548 548 6 244.00 $244.00 $1,337 -13.71
561–593 581 128 250.00–274.00 $259.03 $1,505 +6.64
605–647 622 197 242.75–259.50 $253.32 $1,576 +14.66
651–681 673 141 233.50–238.00 $234.77 $1,580 -1.70
676 676 20 221.00 $221.00 $1,494 -15.47
719–722 721 33 211.50–217.00 $213.00 $1,536 -9.88
748 748 23 191.00 $191.00 $1,429 -31.88
756 756 7 199.50 $199.50 $1,508 —
751–769 759 192 212.00–221.50 $216.18 $1,641 +8.06
802 802 15 199.50 $199.50 $1,600 -1.50
802 802 34 217.00 $217.00 $1,740 +16.00
902–932 914 153 196.10–198.00 $196.86 $1,799 +5.94
966–999 973 77 186.10–196.00 $187.45 $1,824 -11.48
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
345–348 347 6 289.00–290.00 $289.50 $1,005 —
418–440 429 10 249.00–265.00 $258.56 $1,109 +0.67
489 489 5 263.00 $263.00 $1,286 +19.68
532–546 543 63 227.50–250.00 $231.11 $1,255 -8.89
555–578 565 92 237.00–266.00 $248.73 $1,405 +20.90
616–646 635 48 211.00–219.50 $215.93 $1,371 -8.21
665 665 5 220.50 $220.50 $1,466 +18.50
717 717 11 196.00 $196.00 $1,405 —
838 838 3 180.00 $180.00 $1,508 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
753 753 12 177.00 $177.00 $1,333 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005 1005 5 184.00 $184.00 $1,849 +11.00
1135 1135 3 171.00 $171.00 $1,941 +1.00
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1097 1097 6 163.00 $163.00 $1,788 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
559 559 9 276.00 $276.00 $1,543 —
671 671 8 247.00 $247.00 $1,657 —

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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.