Cattle Market Pulse

Dunlap Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Dunlap, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 19, 2026

117 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 117 105 143
Slaughter cattle 117 105 143

Compared to the slaughter cattle auction last week choice slaughter steers were 7.00 to 8.00 higher. Choice slaughter heifers were 4.00 to 5.00 higher. No implants and steers over 1550 lbs brought a premium today. Today's consignments consisted of many quality small packages. Demand was very good for today's small offering of quality cattle.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1335–1470 1403 2 245.00–253.00 $248.81 $3,491
1335–1642 1463 35 256.00–263.00 $261.38 $3,824
1564 1564 6 262.75 $262.75 $4,109 +8.00
1580–1692 1655 3 251.00–254.50 $252.11 $4,172 -2.89
1751–1786 1769 6 240.00–253.50 $246.68 $4,364

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300 1300 1 252.00 $252.00 $3,276
1302–1396 1356 16 224.00–248.00 $232.10 $3,147 -22.96
1275–1505 1425 27 252.00–265.00 $259.89 $3,703
1480–1585 1519 8 253.50–257.50 $255.94 $3,888 +19.91
1660 1660 2 247.00 $247.00 $4,100 -8.00

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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.