Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 26, 2026

3,951 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $357.23/cwt +6.24 vs last sale · ≈ $3,115/hd at 872 lb · 460 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $367.32/cwt +11.84 vs last sale · ≈ $3,049/hd at 830 lb · 361 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $344.15/cwt +4.27 vs last sale · ≈ $3,204/hd at 931 lb · 344 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,951 2,311 3,209
Feeder cattle 3,951 2,311 3,209

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 750-1000 lbs. sold 3.00-8.00 higher, instances 11.00 higher. Trend not applicable due to sizes not comparable for heifers, undertone is unevenly steady, with a higher undertone on most. Demand was good. Many large load lots in todays offering. The next feeder cattle auction will be April 2nd, expecting 1500-2000 head of feeders, starting at 10:00 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
389 389 4 601.00 $601.00 $2,338 +1.00
413 413 3 602.50 $602.50 $2,488 —
458 458 9 580.00 $580.00 $2,656 +58.96
508 508 5 542.50 $542.50 $2,756 —
586 586 7 460.00 $460.00 $2,696 -41.13
616–637 627 53 448.00–454.00 $452.48 $2,837 +3.87
667–694 680 81 409.00–424.00 $417.10 $2,836 +52.10
719–729 726 27 397.00–398.00 $397.71 $2,887 +6.29
780 780 3 367.00 $367.00 $2,863 -12.46
752–793 783 224 375.00–395.00 $381.26 $2,985 +1.80
811–842 830 361 360.00–370.00 $367.32 $3,049 +11.84
854–884 872 456 345.50–363.00 $357.47 $3,117 +6.48
879 879 4 330.00 $330.00 $2,901 -20.99
912–941 931 344 339.00–347.00 $344.15 $3,204 +4.27
960–999 994 246 314.50–339.75 $326.54 $3,246 +3.11
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1019 1019 6 317.00 $317.00 $3,230 +2.53
1050–1083 1069 253 303.50–325.00 $311.51 $3,330 —
1101–1111 1107 107 285.00–302.75 $299.96 $3,321 —
1168–1187 1186 123 280.00–286.25 $285.80 $3,390 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
423 423 6 537.50 $537.50 $2,274 —
470–483 477 23 475.00–520.00 $500.03 $2,385 —
540 540 4 485.00 $485.00 $2,619 -7.00
555 555 3 470.00 $470.00 $2,608 +12.66
652–683 669 42 404.00–420.00 $411.05 $2,750 +26.05
750 750 16 355.00 $355.00 $2,662 —
844 844 13 350.00 $350.00 $2,954 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
342 342 6 560.00 $560.00 $1,915 —
442 442 9 517.50 $517.50 $2,287 ±0.00
498 498 4 485.00 $485.00 $2,415 —
506–538 524 9 436.00–484.00 $456.61 $2,393 -5.39
641–642 641 42 397.00–407.00 $401.53 $2,574 +3.42
672–698 690 79 362.50–386.00 $375.17 $2,589 +18.64
731–748 734 142 352.00–361.00 $359.23 $2,637 -3.60
782–791 790 83 331.50–344.50 $343.02 $2,710 +15.74
812 812 95 340.25 $340.25 $2,763 +14.25
803–836 833 146 321.00–330.00 $327.50 $2,728 +18.50
868–889 872 112 303.00–332.00 $324.92 $2,833 +15.42
873 873 21 316.00 $316.00 $2,759 +6.50
907–917 916 79 305.00–307.00 $305.18 $2,795 +7.69
950–966 954 192 302.50–312.50 $309.76 $2,955 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1008–1017 1017 139 277.00–290.00 $289.39 $2,943 —
1053 1053 6 268.00 $268.00 $2,822 —
1229 1229 8 238.50 $238.50 $2,931 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
442 442 3 505.00 $505.00 $2,232 —
479 479 5 520.00 $520.00 $2,491 —
504–535 525 15 380.00–432.00 $415.35 $2,181 -14.65
574 574 4 430.00 $430.00 $2,468 +27.50
634–638 637 18 347.00–369.00 $364.13 $2,320 -20.86
798 798 14 331.00 $331.00 $2,641 —

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Feeder Bulls

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225 1225 4 235.00 $235.00 $2,879 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
661 661 4 385.00 $385.00 $2,545 —

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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.