Cattle Market Pulse

Topeka Livestock Auction Market Report

Topeka, Indiana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 19, 2023

257 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 257 194 236
Feeder cattle 154 40 89
Slaughter cattle 103 153 147

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter steers were trending lower based on a limited comparison. Slaughter cows were 2.00 lower. Slaughter bulls were trending higher based on a limited comparison. No other comparisons are available because of light receipts this week.

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
445 445 1 107.50 $107.50 $478 —
830 830 2 135.00 $135.00 $1,120 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1570–1710 1640 2 108.00–114.00 $110.87 $1,818 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
220 220 1 120.00 $120.00 $264 —
815 815 1 110.00 $110.00 $896 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075 1075 1 172.00 $172.00 $1,849 —

↑ Back to top

Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
685 685 1 150.00 $150.00 $1,028 —
725 725 1 162.50 $162.50 $1,178 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–1620 1190 85-90% 13 59.00–69.00 $64.75 $771 —
990–1750 1305 85-90% 35 70.00–80.00 $74.93 $978 —
1105–1635 1452 85-90% 16 81.00–93.50 $87.03 $1,264 +1.37
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1520 1395 80-85% 2 102.00–106.00 $103.82 $1,448 -2.52
1190–1775 1468 80-85% 12 89.00–99.00 $94.32 $1,385 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1770 1770 75-80% 1 75.00 $75.00 $1,328 —
1745–1950 1836 75-80% 7 88.00–96.00 $91.68 $1,683 +16.68

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1510 1510 1 127.00 $127.00 $1,918 —
1855 1855 1 107.00 $107.00 $1,985 —

↑ Back to top

Dairy Heifers

Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
322 322 11 535.00 $535.00 +235.00
411–412 411 37 725.00–750.00 $736.50 +277.51
494 494 4 775.00 $775.00 —
555 555 1 575.00 $575.00 —
624 624 5 950.00 $950.00 —
717–730 726 15 1,200.00–1,410.00 $1,340.84 —
779–790 780 8 975.00–1,300.00 $1,258.87 +383.87
915–941 920 17 1,000.00–1,325.00 $1,266.31 —
965 965 1 1,125.00 $1,125.00 —
1100–1118 1115 7 1,325.00–1,400.00 $1,389.43 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1430–1610 1520 2 118.00–128.50 $122.94 $1,869 —
1525 1525 1 103.00 $103.00 $1,571 —

↑ Back to top

Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
278 278 3 105.00 $105.00 $292 —
340 340 1 107.50 $107.50 $366 —
550 550 1 77.50 $77.50 $426 —
690 690 1 95.00 $95.00 $656 —
700 700 1 92.50 $92.50 $648 —
728 value added 728 15 140.00 $140.00 $1,019 —
840 840 1 82.50 $82.50 $693 —
Small 4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
500 500 2 62.50 $62.50 $312 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235 1235 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,606 —

↑ Back to top

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.