Dairy calf and beef-cross calf prices

In USDA AMS livestock auction reports, FEEDER DAIRY CALVES is a category for light calves from dairy-area sales — not the same as regular FEEDER CATTLE, not slaughter cattle, and not cow-calf pairs. Class is usually BULLS or HEIFERS; grades are often Number 1 or Number 2. This page shows how to read those lines.

Category vs class (and why that matters)

Filter this market with category=FEEDER DAIRY CALVES, not by class alone. Class still tells you BULLS vs HEIFERS. Do not treat these lots as slaughter bulls just because the class says BULLS — they are light calves, often ~70–120 lb.

Beef Cross in the comments

Beef Cross often appears in comments. Those lots can print very high $/cwt at light weights. Pure dairy lots (comments empty) usually print much lower $/cwt at similar weights. Always read the comments column before you compare two calf lines.

Still usually per cwt

Unlike cow-calf pairs (often Per Unit / per head), dairy calves are still usually Per Cwt / Actual Wt. A $1,570 price is per hundredweight, not per head — but at ~84 lb that is still a large dollar figure per animal. Check the unit every time.

• Category — FEEDER DAIRY CALVES (AMS section heading).
• Class — BULLS or HEIFERS.
• Grade — often Number 1 or Number 2.
• Unit — usually Per Cwt / Actual Wt.
• Comments — Beef Cross vs blank (pure dairy) can explain big $/cwt gaps.

For regular feeder weight bands, see feeder cattle prices. For cull cows, see slaughter cattle prices. For breeding stock priced per head, see replacement cattle prices and cow-calf pair prices. For PDF layout, see how to read cattle auction reports. For cwt math, see cattle price per cwt. For feeder heifers vs similar-weight steers on $/cwt, see heifer prices. For feeder vs slaughter bulls, see bull prices. For a national weight-band snapshot of feeder steer prices, see feeder steer prices. For lighter feeders bought to graze (often called stockers), see stocker cattle prices. For a state-by-state snapshot of feeder steer prices, see cattle prices by state.

Worked example from a real sale

From New Holland Livestock Cattle Auction Thursday (PA) on Nov 5, 2026, one dairy-calf lot in our API:

{ "auction_name": "New Holland Livestock Cattle Auction Thursday",
  "state": "PA", "report_date": "2026-11-05",
  "category": "FEEDER DAIRY CALVES", "class_name": "BULLS",
  "grade": "Number 1", "head_count": 26,
  "weight_avg": 84, "price_avg": 1570.11,
  "unit": "Per Cwt / Actual Wt", "comments": "Beef Cross" }

Reading it: 26 Number 1 bull calves, about 84 lb average, Beef Cross, sold at about $1,570.11 per cwt. Rough lot value: (84 ÷ 100) × 1570.11 × 26 ≈ $34,300. Same sale, nearby HEIFERS Number 1 (11 hd, ~81 lb) printed about $1,476.54/cwt Beef Cross; lighter calves keep the high $/cwt pattern. Pure dairy lots (comments empty) print much lower $/cwt at similar weights. Source: USDA AMS; we are not affiliated with USDA.

curl -s -H "X-API-Key: kl_free_demo_2026" \
  "https://api.kossinlabs.com/v1/prices?category=FEEDER%20DAIRY%20CALVES&limit=5"

Pull more dairy-calf lots as JSON

Free demo key (no sign-up): kl_free_demo_2026. Docs: api.kossinlabs.com. Product page: cattle auction prices API. Starter is $29/mo for higher limits — subscribe. 30-day money-back guarantee.