Cattle Market Pulse

Mitchell Livestock Auction Market Report

Mitchell, South Dakota · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 20, 2026

1,676 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $298.72/cwt ≈ $2,772/hd at 928 lb · 224 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $328.85/cwt +1.10 vs last sale · ≈ $3,058/hd at 930 lb · 190 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $302.67/cwt -24.33 vs last sale · ≈ $2,542/hd at 840 lb · 185 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,676 999 0
Feeder cattle 1,676 999 0

Compared to two weeks ago: Very few light steers, trend not applicable. 900-949 lb. steers were 1.00 higher. Steers over 1000 lbs. were dollars lower. Not enough heifers for a good trend. Demand was good. Many large load lots in todays offering. Starting next week, MLM plans on having a feeder cattle auction every Thur. here on out. The next feeder cattle auction will be Aug. 27th, expecting 1500 head of feeder, starting at 10:00 am.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1021–1037 1031 93 296.50–297.85 $297.32 $3,065 -17.68
1064 1064 9 258.00 $258.00 $2,745 -55.64
1051–1099 1090 449 289.00–293.75 $291.47 $3,177 -22.17
1115 1115 21 282.75 $282.75 $3,153 -18.86
1166 1166 48 281.50 $281.50 $3,282 -22.60
1235 1235 29 248.00 $248.00 $3,063 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
519 519 13 457.50 $457.50 $2,374 —
703 703 7 369.00 $369.00 $2,594 —
833 833 19 349.00 $349.00 $2,907 +9.93
856 856 20 320.00 $320.00 $2,739 —
922–945 930 190 315.00–336.75 $328.85 $3,058 +1.10
966 966 27 292.00 $292.00 $2,821 -23.00
961–996 974 13 296.00–308.00 $303.28 $2,954 -11.72
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
501 501 6 429.00 $429.00 $2,149 —
680 680 5 340.00 $340.00 $2,312 —
737 737 12 310.00 $310.00 $2,285 —
838 838 11 328.00 $328.00 $2,749 —
975 975 14 295.00 $295.00 $2,876 —

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
576 576 5 397.50 $397.50 $2,290 —
658 658 6 342.00 $342.00 $2,250 -16.00
780–783 782 15 321.00–323.00 $321.66 $2,515 —
833–844 840 185 294.00–306.75 $302.67 $2,542 -24.33
862–894 879 52 299.00–310.50 $305.40 $2,684 —
909–943 928 224 287.25–302.00 $298.72 $2,772 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1003–1011 1007 15 295.00–298.00 $296.39 $2,985 +14.39
1150 1150 17 263.00 $263.00 $3,024 —
1167 1167 14 238.50 $238.50 $2,783 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
982 982 10 284.00 $284.00 $2,789 —
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1029 1029 8 266.00 $266.00 $2,737 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
992 992 6 262.00 $262.00 $2,599 —

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
952 952 5 269.00 $269.00 $2,561 —

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Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1097 1097 9 199.00 $199.00 $2,183 —

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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.