Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 21, 2024

2,549 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $216.48/cwt ≈ $2,009/hd at 928 lb · 395 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $231.39/cwt -5.15 vs last sale · ≈ $2,117/hd at 915 lb · 333 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $249.20/cwt -6.57 vs last sale · ≈ $2,058/hd at 826 lb · 249 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,549 4,060 4,503
Feeder cattle 2,549 4,060 4,503

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 800-950 lbs. sold 2.00-5.00 lower, feeder heifers 800-900 lbs. sold steady to 4.00 lower. Demand was good. Few load lots today. The next feeder cattle auction will be March 28th, expecting 3000 head of feeders, starting at 9:30 am. This will be their special calves to go on grass feeder sale

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
484 484 7 354.00 $354.00 $1,713 -25.00
671–690 681 41 289.00–294.00 $292.65 $1,993 -6.91
731 731 7 264.00 $264.00 $1,930 -12.37
750–794 781 43 243.50–272.00 $257.53 $2,011 +6.13
805–826 817 146 247.50–256.25 $254.60 $2,080 -2.23
836–843 838 103 237.50–243.75 $241.55 $2,024 -5.71
850–880 867 157 236.50–246.00 $237.84 $2,062 -17.66
900–934 915 333 225.00–234.25 $231.39 $2,117 -5.15
952–983 973 225 226.50–228.50 $227.18 $2,210 -9.07
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1024–1026 1025 132 228.50 $228.50 $2,342 +4.94
1109 1109 31 216.75 $216.75 $2,404 +4.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
438 438 3 320.00 $320.00 $1,402 —
594 594 5 289.00 $289.00 $1,717 —
626 626 10 290.00 $290.00 $1,815 -0.30
686–693 692 47 268.00–271.00 $270.56 $1,872 +6.18
745 745 11 264.50 $264.50 $1,971 -0.59
772 772 3 241.00 $241.00 $1,861 +1.00
809 809 11 232.50 $232.50 $1,881 —
899 899 31 225.00 $225.00 $2,023 -8.75
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005 1005 10 204.50 $204.50 $2,055 +5.50
1143 1143 10 195.50 $195.50 $2,235 —
1158 1158 3 190.00 $190.00 $2,200 —
Medium 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945 945 23 235.50 $235.50 $2,225 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
634–648 638 10 200.00–230.00 $220.86 $1,409 —
801 801 7 217.50 $217.50 $1,742 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
394 394 5 337.00 $337.00 $1,328 —
532 532 3 286.00 $286.00 $1,522 —
648 648 13 265.00 $265.00 $1,717 -4.00
671–691 676 50 253.00–260.00 $258.28 $1,746 -2.47
699 699 5 244.50 $244.50 $1,709 +6.50
718–748 739 31 238.00–243.50 $239.45 $1,770 -6.55
774–790 778 50 227.00–232.00 $228.22 $1,776 -3.49
810–844 817 117 219.00–232.00 $228.32 $1,865 +0.17
852–892 878 146 215.00–220.85 $219.88 $1,931 +2.95
906–947 928 395 208.25–220.35 $216.48 $2,009 —
951 951 22 213.75 $213.75 $2,033 +8.69
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
468 468 8 280.00 $280.00 $1,310 —
517 517 3 280.00 $280.00 $1,448 —
575 575 8 270.00 $270.00 $1,552 -2.00
603 603 7 210.00 $210.00 $1,266 —
739 739 12 239.25 $239.25 $1,768 +4.00
790 790 11 195.00 $195.00 $1,540 -19.00
913 913 31 192.00 $192.00 $1,753 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
819 819 7 185.00 $185.00 $1,515 —
935 935 55 196.00 $196.00 $1,833 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
680 680 21 269.00 $269.00 $1,829 —

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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.