Cattle Market Pulse

Topeka Livestock Auction Market Report

Topeka, Indiana · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 12, 2026

249 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 249 280 95
Feeder cattle 40 65 16
Slaughter cattle 64 80 79
Replacement cattle — 1 —

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter cows were 9.00 higher and Holstein slaughter cows were 4.00 higher. Slaughter Holstein heifers were mostly steady based on a limited comparison. Slaughter Holstein bulls were trending higher based on a limited comparison.

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
265 265 1 450.00 $450.00 $1,192 —
315–330 323 2 370.00–410.00 $390.47 $1,261 +30.47
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
458 458 3 330.00 $330.00 $1,511 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1565 1412 80-85% 3 179.00–189.00 $184.52 $2,605 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1670 1670 85-90% 1 139.00 $139.00 $2,321 —

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Baby Bull Calves

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Stage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
65 65 N/A 1 250.00 $250.00 -1,833.76
65–95 85 N/A 20 1,850.00–2,375.00 $2,080.75 +545.41
65–95 87 N/A 37 1,425.00–2,000.00 $1,653.44 +118.10
100–125 107 N/A 14 1,400.00–1,975.00 $1,709.87 +232.57
100–130 107 N/A 28 1,175.00–1,600.00 $1,392.35 -84.95

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Baby Heifer Calves

N/N/A ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Stage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
65–90 79 N/A 4 1,500.00–2,150.00 $1,807.94 -211.81
75–95 84 N/A 5 1,000.00–1,400.00 $1,196.73 -823.02
100 100 N/A 1 1,350.00 $1,350.00 -431.10
105 105 N/A 1 1,825.00 $1,825.00 +43.90

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Beef Dairy Heifers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
495 495 5 325.00 $325.00 $1,609 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
563 563 5 305.00 $305.00 $1,717 ±0.00
808 808 4 290.00 $290.00 $2,343 —

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Dairy Bulls

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1400 1400 1 197.00 $197.00 $2,758 —
1835 1835 1 150.00 $150.00 $2,752 —
1865–2205 2035 2 226.00–227.00 $226.46 $4,608 —

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Dairy Cows

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1485 1277 85-90% 12 129.00–137.00 $131.91 $1,684 —
1170–1550 1360 85-90% 2 125.00–126.00 $125.57 $1,708 —
1105–1590 1372 85-90% 10 139.00–149.00 $145.35 $1,994 —
1065–1700 1447 80-85% 5 161.00–164.00 $162.73 $2,355 +19.20
1160–1760 1479 80-85% 13 150.00–160.00 $154.88 $2,291 +7.88
1280–1670 1480 80-85% 3 147.00–149.00 $148.42 $2,197 +1.42
1840 1840 75-80% 1 172.00 $172.00 $3,165 —
2035 2035 75-80% 1 150.00 $150.00 $3,052 —

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Dairy Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1035–1710 1309 9 182.50–220.00 $205.33 $2,688 —
Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
423 423 3 1,400.00 $1,400.00 —
630 630 1 1,150.00 $1,150.00 -500.00
725 725 2 2,300.00 $2,300.00 —

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Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
175 175 1 330.00 $330.00 $578 —
253–285 261 4 330.00–370.00 $359.08 $937 —
442 442 4 300.00 $300.00 $1,326 —
583 583 3 290.00 $290.00 $1,691 -40.00
745 745 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,639 —

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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.