Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 5, 2026

2,679 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $373.37/cwt -4.47 vs last sale · ≈ $2,546/hd at 682 lb · 658 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $337.55/cwt -4.40 vs last sale · ≈ $2,650/hd at 785 lb · 300 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $337.92/cwt -1.29 vs last sale · ≈ $2,778/hd at 822 lb · 251 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,679 5,527 3,989
Feeder cattle 2,679 5,527 3,989

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 700 lbs. and upsold unevenly steady. Feeder heifers 650-850 lbs. sold 2.00-7.00 lower, Demand was good. MLM had one featuring consignment of 850 head of 600-800 lb. heifers. Few load lots today. The next feeder cattle auction will be Mar. 12th, expecting 3000 -3500 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
398 398 3 600.00 $600.00 $2,388 +30.00
514–528 524 19 497.00–527.50 $504.87 $2,646 -12.19
607–639 635 69 431.00–446.00 $444.13 $2,820 +3.13
664–683 672 35 397.00–419.00 $407.95 $2,741 -30.07
703–744 726 185 391.50–403.00 $399.94 $2,904 -3.74
758–772 765 26 370.00–388.00 $377.75 $2,890 -2.79
769 769 11 335.00 $335.00 $2,576 -45.54
804–825 808 119 346.00–374.25 $370.76 $2,996 +5.26
855 855 7 334.00 $334.00 $2,856 -10.19
863–885 875 162 345.00–355.75 $350.79 $3,069 -6.53
922 922 55 339.25 $339.25 $3,128 -0.44
952–998 990 77 324.00–349.50 $330.66 $3,274 +2.32
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1008–1044 1025 119 323.00–326.00 $324.54 $3,327 +39.54
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
477–481 479 12 420.00–510.00 $457.32 $2,191 -49.28
511–516 514 8 350.00–400.00 $374.88 $1,927 —
584 584 9 425.00 $425.00 $2,482 +20.00
640–645 641 18 427.50–431.00 $428.48 $2,747 -14.98
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075 1075 3 275.00 $275.00 $2,956 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
323 323 3 580.00 $580.00 $1,873 —
468–482 479 12 440.00–457.50 $453.22 $2,171 -27.86
501–515 507 9 443.00–457.50 $449.54 $2,279 +6.62
554–582 558 55 415.00–449.00 $444.84 $2,482 +24.08
604–637 626 27 372.50–379.00 $376.01 $2,354 -31.39
650–698 682 658 363.00–386.00 $373.37 $2,546 +22.37
701–748 726 68 346.00–363.00 $352.18 $2,557 +16.19
750–794 785 300 327.00–340.00 $337.55 $2,650 +15.58
814–838 822 239 325.50–349.50 $338.64 $2,784 +14.64
821–826 823 12 323.00–324.00 $323.67 $2,664 -0.33
879 879 27 315.00 $315.00 $2,769 -12.78
924–949 936 71 306.00–306.50 $306.25 $2,866 -17.60
914–945 940 94 289.50–293.50 $290.16 $2,728 -33.69
973 973 9 275.50 $275.50 $2,681 -33.31
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1019 1019 4 269.00 $269.00 $2,741 +3.23
1022 1022 48 276.00 $276.00 $2,821 +10.23
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455 455 3 460.00 $460.00 $2,093 -27.50
537 537 6 421.00 $421.00 $2,261 —
677 677 5 357.50 $357.50 $2,420 +16.16
715–724 720 8 310.00–333.00 $321.57 $2,315 —
765 765 3 324.00 $324.00 $2,479 -4.99
835 835 12 314.00 $314.00 $2,622 —
883 883 3 301.00 $301.00 $2,658 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1021 1021 9 250.00 $250.00 $2,552 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
597 597 3 215.00 $215.00 $1,284 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
559 559 4 435.00 $435.00 $2,432 —

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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.