Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, March 19, 2024

140 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Dunlap Livestock Slaughter Cattle report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 140 179 134
Slaughter cattle 140 179 134

DUNLAP LIVESTOCK SLAUGHTER CATTLE SALE - - - - Compared to last week's auction, choice slaughter steers were 2.00 to 4.00 higher. Choice slaughter heifers were 3.00 to 5.00 higher. Best demand today was for cattle that never had received an implant. Demand was good for today's light offering of hard, grain fed slaughter cattle.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150 1150 1 183.00 $183.00 $2,104
1212 1212 9 190.00 $190.00 $2,303 +4.22
1317 1317 5 185.50 $185.50 $2,443 +1.15
1430 1430 1 172.00 $172.00 $2,460 -6.00
1255–1520 1472 15 181.00–188.50 $186.58 $2,746
1520 1520 1 180.00 $180.00 $2,736 -5.56
1550 1550 1 188.00 $188.00 $2,914 +1.50
1580 1580 11 188.10 $188.10 $2,972 +1.60
1655–1725 1697 5 187.75–187.85 $187.81 $3,187

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205–1420 1265 9 185.00–188.75 $187.53 $2,372 +5.78
1415 1415 3 172.00 $172.00 $2,434
1213–1633 1426 58 185.00–189.00 $188.02 $2,681
1795 1795 1 185.00 $185.00 $3,321

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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.