Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 29, 2024

6,110 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $232.64/cwt -3.17 vs last sale · ≈ $1,809/hd at 778 lb · 670 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $239.70/cwt +6.69 vs last sale · ≈ $2,207/hd at 921 lb · 628 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $214.78/cwt +6.83 vs last sale · ≈ $1,967/hd at 916 lb · 497 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 6,110 5,840 8,184
Feeder cattle 6,110 5,840 8,184

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 650 lbs. and up sold unevenly steady with majority on the top side of steady. Feeder heifers 650 lbs. and up sold 4.00-7.00 higher. Demand was good as was the quality. Many large strings of feeders today. The next feeder cattle auction will be March 7th, expecting 4500 head of feeders, starting at 9:30 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
356 356 6 370.00 $370.00 $1,317 ±0.00
456–493 476 45 340.00–357.00 $352.66 $1,679 +0.66
528–535 532 34 327.00–334.00 $329.86 $1,755 -11.14
555–592 572 29 310.00–334.00 $325.80 $1,864 +1.30
601–626 619 73 298.00–313.00 $302.61 $1,873 +0.75
660–691 676 190 279.50–291.50 $285.94 $1,933 -0.49
696 696 50 275.00 $275.00 $1,914 -11.43
704–739 726 181 261.00–282.75 $276.06 $2,004 +5.97
755–796 773 262 251.50–262.00 $255.02 $1,971 -2.90
754–793 780 46 247.50–256.50 $248.82 $1,941 -9.10
804–848 816 405 244.50–255.75 $249.76 $2,038 +9.08
830–840 833 73 233.50–237.25 $236.16 $1,967 +1.45
860–888 868 60 232.00–234.00 $233.39 $2,026 -10.60
853–897 878 369 237.00–244.50 $241.05 $2,116 +4.41
902–942 920 569 233.50–245.00 $241.35 $2,220 +8.34
917–928 926 59 222.00–239.50 $223.76 $2,072 -9.25
961–963 962 124 218.00–228.25 $222.63 $2,142 -1.86
1027 1027 63 213.00 $213.00 $2,188 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010 1010 13 229.25 $229.25 $2,315 +24.25
1064 1064 186 216.60 $216.60 $2,305 +2.28
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
492 492 5 343.00 $343.00 $1,688 —
537 537 12 306.00 $306.00 $1,643 -9.97
567–568 567 11 301.00–306.00 $302.37 $1,714 —
630–649 646 52 261.00–284.00 $274.68 $1,774 -5.57
672–693 676 30 259.00–272.00 $269.34 $1,821 +6.86
718–734 725 20 243.50–252.00 $247.37 $1,793 -3.27
813 813 6 247.00 $247.00 $2,008 —
889–891 890 44 228.50–233.50 $230.32 $2,050 +2.82
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
625 625 9 281.00 $281.00 $1,756 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
847 847 5 181.00 $181.00 $1,533 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1078 1078 4 205.00 $205.00 $2,210 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
310 310 3 340.00 $340.00 $1,054 —
420–434 429 14 300.00–315.00 $309.76 $1,329 -17.24
465–499 474 29 290.00–307.50 $300.87 $1,426 +3.24
514 514 10 280.50 $280.50 $1,442 -22.50
560–598 574 90 275.50–286.00 $281.46 $1,616 +5.55
605–625 616 18 256.50–272.00 $265.34 $1,634 +3.52
650–698 674 320 249.50–263.50 $256.87 $1,731 +7.47
692–696 693 13 216.00–249.00 $237.65 $1,647 -11.75
705–739 719 197 238.00–250.75 $245.96 $1,768 +8.49
740 740 19 234.00 $234.00 $1,732 -3.47
755–790 774 503 229.00–235.25 $232.17 $1,797 -0.54
784–789 787 59 221.00–227.00 $224.46 $1,767 -7.54
779–797 790 108 237.00–240.75 $239.28 $1,890 +7.28
807 807 82 219.50 $219.50 $1,771 -7.03
810–848 821 213 220.50–233.50 $228.52 $1,876 +1.99
840 840 63 235.75 $235.75 $1,980 +9.22
856 856 39 237.00 $237.00 $2,029 +14.41
851–889 870 350 218.00–228.00 $222.78 $1,938 +0.19
902–947 916 497 209.50–221.50 $214.78 $1,967 +6.83
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
273 273 3 410.00 $410.00 $1,119 —
407–449 433 13 284.00–292.00 $286.89 $1,242 —
563–596 572 24 241.00–269.50 $252.53 $1,444 -5.51
640 640 4 245.00 $245.00 $1,568 +24.31
687–693 691 55 225.00–245.00 $239.94 $1,658 +4.94
743 743 5 230.00 $230.00 $1,709 +3.00
824 824 31 214.00 $214.00 $1,763 +15.55
882 882 6 186.00 $186.00 $1,641 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
737 737 21 192.00 $192.00 $1,415 —

↑ Back to top

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.