Cattle Market Pulse

Fairview Sale Barn Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Fairview, Illinois · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 29, 2020

197 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 197 219 432
Slaughter cattle 197 219 432

Compared to last week, slaughter steers and slaughter heifers sold 3.25 to 5.25 higher with heifers with the larger gain. Slaughter cows sold 1.50 to 3.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sold 5.25 higher. Trade was active with good demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1055 1038 2 90.00–95.00 $92.46 $960
1075–1120 1098 2 85.00–88.00 $86.47 $949
1290–1400 1363 3 106.00 $106.00 $1,445
1245–1575 1391 49 107.50–113.25 $111.30 $1,548
1650–1840 1745 2 92.00–106.50 $98.86 $1,725
1965 1965 1 83.50 $83.50 $1,641

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–955 913 3 75.00–82.00 $78.46 $716
1145 1145 1 80.00 $80.00 $916
1165 1165 1 87.00 $87.00 $1,014
1267 1267 2 106.50 $106.50 $1,349
1126–1495 1330 23 107.50–113.75 $111.15 $1,478

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
735–1095 786 80-85% 7 42.50–43.00 $42.60 $335
1045 1045 80-85% 1 77.00 $77.00 $805 +18.06
895–1470 1227 80-85% 24 43.50–54.00 $48.44 $594 +2.80
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780–1505 1240 75-80% 4 43.50–45.00 $44.63 $553
740–1965 1446 75-80% 22 46.50–56.00 $51.24 $741
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1295–1640 1443 65-75% 6 84.00–94.00 $88.20 $1,273
1430–1740 1599 65-75% 4 56.00–69.50 $61.74 $987
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–1065 953 85-90% 3 42.50–45.00 $43.91 $418

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
916–980 942 5 72.50–79.00 $76.29 $719
640–1845 1279 8 46.00–65.00 $60.37 $772
1745–2160 1979 5 78.00–81.00 $79.61 $1,575
2045–2325 2185 2 86.50–89.00 $87.67 $1,916

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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.