Name: Walnut Livestock Auction livestock auction prices — 2026-01-20
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2026-01-20

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Today at Walnut, a light offering for the first feeder special of 2026 was met with moderate demand on active trading. Good demand on feeder heifers.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $393.00/cwt on 6 head. That ranks 1 of 1 comparable sales and sits −23.16 against this barn's trailing median of $416.16.

Average price

$393.00

6 head · 587 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,306

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$315

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2

$64.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

−78.04

vs IL average

−72.33 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	581	414.50	2,408	4thin
Medium and Large 1-2	598	350.00	2,093	2thin

One grade step is worth $64.50/cwt here — about $315 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 800–900 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale6 hd

393.00

—

IL average3 barns · 267 hd

471.04

−78.04

National average169 barns · 18,411 hd

465.33

−72.33

This barn, trailing median1 sales

416.16

−23.16

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Every lot, as filed

29 lots · USDA AMS · Walnut Auction Sales Feeder Cattle Special - Walnut, IL

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	480	395.00/cwt	395.00–395.00	1,896	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	739	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,587	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	620	340.78/cwt	330.00–360.00	2,113	21
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	489	436.13/cwt	432.50–441.00	2,133	7
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	683	346.28/cwt	345.00–348.00	2,365	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	793	310.00/cwt	310.00–310.00	2,458	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	479	375.00/cwt	375.00–375.00	1,796	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	610	398.05/cwt	390.00–403.50	2,428	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	701	342.34/cwt	341.00–346.00	2,400	15
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	790	343.00/cwt	343.00–343.00	2,710	19
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	581	414.50/cwt	414.50–414.50	2,408	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	535	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	1,873	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	640	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	1,904	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	850–900	863	295.00/cwt	295.00–295.00	2,546	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	383	457.50/cwt	457.50–457.50	1,752	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	605	336.30/cwt	335.00–347.50	2,035	10
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	755	305.00/cwt	305.00–305.00	2,303	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	950–1000	973	252.50/cwt	252.50–252.50	2,457	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	250–300	263	465.00/cwt	465.00–465.00	1,223	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	737	328.00/cwt	328.00–328.00	2,417	5
Steers	Medium and Large 2	600–650	615	312.44/cwt	310.00–315.00	1,922	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	598	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,093	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	675	357.50/cwt	357.50–357.50	2,413	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	411	422.08/cwt	400.00–427.50	1,735	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	300–350	339	450.96/cwt	445.00–455.00	1,529	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	465	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,860	1
Heifers	Large 1-2	650–700	678	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	2,109	6
Heifers	Large 1-2	800–850	845	297.50/cwt	297.50–297.50	2,514	1
Steers	Large 2-3	850–900	870	142.50/cwt	142.50–142.50	1,240	1

How this sale compares

Illinois weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Illinois auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Illinois feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Walnut Auction Sales Feeder Cattle Special - Walnut, IL

Tue Jan 20, 2026

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Springfield, IL (LS-GX)

Receipts 180Last week 88Year ago 0

Today at Walnut, a light offering for the first feeder special of 2026 was met with moderate demand on active trading. Good demand on feeder heifers.

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
3	250–300	263	465.00	465.00
3	450–500	480	395.00	395.00
2	550–600	598	350.00	350.00
10	600–650	605	335.00–347.50	336.30
1	650–700	675	357.50	357.50
5	700–750	737	328.00	328.00
5	750–800	755	305.00	305.00
2	850–900	863	295.00	295.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
2	350–400	383	457.50	457.50
7	450–500	489	432.50–441.00	436.13
4	550–600	581	414.50	414.50
10	600–650	610	390.00–403.50	398.05
11	700–750	739	350.00	350.00
19	750–800	790	343.00	343.00
Steers — Medium and Large 2$ per cwt · actual wt
2	600–650	615	310.00–315.00	312.44
Steers — Large 2-3$ per cwt · actual wt
1	850–900	870	142.50	142.50
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
5	300–350	339	445.00–455.00	450.96
5	400–450	411	400.00–427.50	422.08
1	450–500	465	400.00	400.00
21	600–650	620	330.00–360.00	340.78
16	650–700	683	345.00–348.00	346.28
15	700–750	701	341.00–346.00	342.34
6	750–800	793	310.00	310.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
4	450–500	479	375.00	375.00
3	500–550	535	350.00	350.00
1	600–650	640	297.50	297.50
3	950–1000	973	252.50	252.50
Heifers — Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	650–700	678	311.00	311.00
1	800–850	845	297.50	297.50

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

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Walnut Livestock Auction