Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 30, 2024

1,965 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $236.97/cwt +17.97 vs last sale · ≈ $2,329/hd at 983 lb · 425 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $218.48/cwt +2.65 vs last sale · ≈ $1,995/hd at 913 lb · 305 head
heavy 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $211.24/cwt ≈ $2,055/hd at 973 lb · 161 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,965 712 1,756
Feeder cattle 1,965 712 1,756

Compared to last week: Feeder steers up to 950 lbs. sold on a lower undertone, steers 950- 1150 lbs. sold on a higher undertone. Feeder heifers up to 850 lbs. sold steady to a higher undertone, heifers 900-950 lbs. sold 2.00 higher. Demand was good. Some large load lots today, Buyers could fill large pens easily with one man's feeders. The next feeder cattle auction will be June 6th, expecting 1000-1500 head of feeders, starting at 10: 00 am. Then on June 13th, MLM will hold their summer time "BBQ" special.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
355 355 8 420.00 $420.00 $1,491
516 516 6 335.00 $335.00 $1,729 -49.00
582 582 8 322.50 $322.50 $1,877
671–686 674 53 281.00–298.00 $286.99 $1,934 -23.01
707 707 15 262.00 $262.00 $1,852
805–838 828 13 250.00–256.00 $251.80 $2,085 -1.70
877 877 50 241.00 $241.00 $2,114
945 945 62 233.25 $233.25 $2,204
966–998 983 425 229.75–240.25 $236.97 $2,329 +17.97
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1009–1025 1015 139 225.00–228.50 $227.99 $2,314
1053 1053 23 215.50 $215.50 $2,269
1107 1107 67 217.10 $217.10 $2,403 +4.23
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
461–499 476 10 320.00–348.00 $336.26 $1,601
500–508 503 7 314.00–330.00 $323.08 $1,625
629 629 10 267.00 $267.00 $1,679
863 863 3 236.00 $236.00 $2,037

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
379 379 11 385.00 $385.00 $1,459
577 577 3 267.50 $267.50 $1,543 -34.50
620–626 624 9 272.50–278.00 $274.32 $1,712 +2.32
651 651 7 263.00 $263.00 $1,712 ±0.00
712–715 713 21 245.00–264.00 $248.39 $1,771
759–797 794 146 235.00–242.00 $237.49 $1,886 +0.31
824 824 7 234.00 $234.00 $1,928 +3.85
879–880 879 157 218.00–220.25 $219.75 $1,932
907–927 913 305 216.75–220.10 $218.48 $1,995 +2.65
967–997 973 161 208.00–212.50 $211.24 $2,055
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
424 424 16 315.00 $315.00 $1,336
547 547 3 287.50 $287.50 $1,573
555 555 6 247.00 $247.00 $1,371
634–644 636 40 256.00–258.00 $256.30 $1,630 +8.30
848 848 12 216.00 $216.00 $1,832
866–872 871 31 216.00–224.00 $217.54 $1,895
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1144 1144 14 187.00 $187.00 $2,139
1226 1226 60 184.85 $184.85 $2,266
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
678 678 4 197.50 $197.50 $1,339

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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.