Cattle Market Pulse

Walnut Auction Sales Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Walnut, Illinois · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 29, 2024

113 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Walnut Auction Sales Slaughter Cattle report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 113 173 204
Slaughter cattle 113 173 204

Compared to last week, slaughter steers and heifers traded steady to 2.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold mixed, with Breakers 2.00 lower, Boners 6.00 higher, and Leans 13.00 higher in a light test. No test to last week for bulls. Trade was active with good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1055 1043 2 115.00–123.00 $119.05 $1,242
1430 1430 1 167.00 $167.00 $2,388
1445 1445 1 165.00 $165.00 $2,384
1420–1840 1560 27 176.00–186.50 $182.84 $2,852 -1.57

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1405 1365 3 168.00–173.00 $171.39 $2,339 -10.98
1196–1515 1375 20 176.00–185.00 $182.78 $2,513 +0.41

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1650 1291 80-85% 4 100.00–109.00 $104.18 $1,345
1145–1430 1310 80-85% 11 112.00–121.00 $117.58 $1,540
1330 1330 80-85% 1 124.00 $124.00 $1,649
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1350–1665 1544 75-80% 4 104.00–121.00 $112.82 $1,742
1310–1940 1549 75-80% 10 122.00–133.00 $126.52 $1,960
1695 1695 75-80% 1 135.00 $135.00 $2,288
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1385–1595 1466 65-75% 6 150.00–160.00 $154.39 $2,263 -9.59
1525–1595 1560 65-75% 2 145.00–148.00 $146.53 $2,286
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1470 1258 85-90% 2 105.00–106.00 $105.58 $1,328

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930–1465 1198 2 119.00–122.00 $120.84 $1,448
1535–2350 1825 4 127.00–139.00 $135.83 $2,479
2020 2020 1 145.00 $145.00 $2,929

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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.