Cattle Market Pulse

Fairview Sale Barn Cattle Special Market Report

Fairview, Illinois · USDA-reported Auction Livestock (Special)

Sale of Thursday, December 17, 2020

2,325 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Fairview Sale Barn Cattle Special report →

heavy 6-weight L 1-2 steers $147.92/cwt +4.15 vs last sale · ≈ $1,003/hd at 678 lb · 232 head
heavy 7-weight L 1-2 steers $153.24/cwt +30.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,185/hd at 773 lb · 232 head
light 6-weight L 1-2 steers $152.67/cwt +13.12 vs last sale · ≈ $958/hd at 628 lb · 197 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,325 842 1,551
Feeder cattle 2,325 842 1,551

Compared to the last reported feeder cattle special sale on 12/03/2020, steers under 700 lbs. sold 8>00 to 10.00 higher. Steers over 700 lbs. sold 20.00 higher. Feeder heifers sold 4.00 to 15.00 higher with 3 wt. heifers gaining the most. The sale consisted of several load lots of yearling steers and several nice size groups. Trade was active with good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
230 230 2 189.00 $189.00 $435
272–288 282 5 181.00–190.00 $184.48 $520 -4.52
308–321 313 9 177.00–193.00 $182.91 $573 +6.91
350–395 369 26 169.00–198.00 $185.52 $685 +9.20
407–422 fancy 414 16 198.00–199.00 $198.55 $822
403–440 420 27 159.00–193.00 $176.24 $740 +5.96
455–495 470 48 161.00–188.50 $175.55 $825 +16.99
502–549 527 132 153.00–175.00 $167.32 $882 +11.16
550–597 578 118 144.00–171.00 $158.03 $913 +37.03
603–633 fancy 612 16 159.00–160.00 $159.32 $975
600–648 629 181 126.00–157.00 $152.08 $957 +12.53
651–699 678 232 125.00–158.50 $147.92 $1,003 +4.15
704–746 731 125 125.00–155.50 $147.34 $1,077 +13.50
752–791 773 232 128.00–158.50 $153.24 $1,185 +30.57
800–829 823 94 127.00–152.50 $147.31 $1,212 +28.64
920 920 1 105.00 $105.00 $966 -2.46
927–941 934 94 110.00–135.50 $131.30 $1,226 +23.84
950 950 1 113.00 $113.00 $1,074 +4.52
1021 1021 54 128.00 $128.00 $1,307 +32.00
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
385 385 2 157.00–162.00 $159.50 $614 +16.50
420–445 430 13 153.00–158.00 $154.30 $663 +9.54
455–481 472 6 145.00–158.00 $150.56 $711 +13.86
532 532 2 148.00 $148.00 $787 +11.42
570–585 572 10 138.00–148.00 $139.40 $797 +1.92
660 660 1 110.00 $110.00 $726 ±0.00
725 725 1 123.00 $123.00 $892
750–785 771 4 111.00–123.00 $118.30 $912 +9.31
805–831 819 6 108.00–120.00 $116.00 $950
895 895 1 97.00 $97.00 $868
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
380–390 385 2 144.00–168.00 $156.16 $601
400 400 1 139.00 $139.00 $556
505–545 525 2 148.00–160.00 $153.77 $807 +14.77
555–590 574 4 133.00–158.00 $150.32 $863 +26.35
627 627 2 133.00 $133.00 $834 +12.00
660 660 1 119.00 $119.00 $785
720–730 725 2 117.00–131.00 $123.95 $899 +13.78
790 790 1 109.00 $109.00 $861
800–840 818 4 105.00–124.00 $116.17 $950 +14.17
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
395 395 1 167.00 $167.00 $660
445 445 1 154.00 $154.00 $685
520 520 1 133.00 $133.00 $692
705 705 1 109.00 $109.00 $768
750 750 1 125.00 $125.00 $938

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Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
297 297 8 160.00 $160.00 $475
305–345 324 10 147.00–160.00 $155.54 $504 +11.13
350–380 fancy 365 2 176.00–179.00 $177.44 $648
361–396 374 32 144.00–171.00 $162.67 $608 +9.44
405–448 435 41 140.00–175.00 $156.06 $679 -3.89
450–498 481 98 141.00–158.00 $149.56 $719 +3.24
502–548 528 104 131.00–150.00 $144.24 $762 +2.64
550–596 577 100 125.00–145.50 $138.26 $798 +2.04
600–647 615 69 116.00–145.00 $137.98 $849 +6.80
650–685 667 102 122.00–142.50 $132.06 $881 +6.73
673 673 1 119.00 $119.00 $801 -6.33
730 730 1 101.00 $101.00 $737 -27.97
710–740 734 18 117.00–133.00 $129.41 $950 +0.44
770–792 785 3 110.00–113.00 $112.02 $879 -4.35
805 805 1 107.00 $107.00 $861 +5.57
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 2 146.00 $146.00 $496 +9.00
350–390 371 9 127.00–136.00 $133.33 $495 -14.67
438–445 440 5 125.00–145.00 $132.63 $584 +0.71
520 520 1 126.00 $126.00 $655 -0.11
589 589 4 121.00 $121.00 $713 -8.88
610 610 1 118.00 $118.00 $720 +3.00
683 683 3 117.00 $117.00 $799
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
420 420 1 133.00 $133.00 $559 +0.85
470–495 485 3 137.00–140.00 $139.03 $674 +3.64
505–540 523 2 125.00–127.00 $125.97 $659 -0.03
595 595 2 120.00 $120.00 $714 -2.00
650–665 658 2 116.00 $116.00 $763
705 705 3 112.00–120.00 $114.67 $808 -1.33
755 755 1 113.00 $113.00 $853
775 775 1 116.00 $116.00 $899
850 850 1 105.00 $105.00 $892
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335 335 2 126.00 $126.00 $422
445 445 1 157.00 $157.00 $699
452 452 2 138.00 $138.00 $624 +12.00
501 501 3 144.00 $144.00 $721
610 610 1 121.00 $121.00 $738
735 735 1 89.00 $89.00 $654

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Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
535 535 1 122.00 $122.00 $653 -11.00
675 675 1 112.00 $112.00 $756 +4.00
810 810 1 99.00 $99.00 $802 +12.40

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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.