Cattle Market Pulse

Fairview Sale Barn Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Fairview, Illinois · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, May 4, 2021

337 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight N/N/A heifers $105.28/cwt ≈ $939/hd at 892 lb · 15 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 337 177 155
Slaughter cattle 337 177 155

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter steers and slaughter heifers sold sharply lower at 9.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 5.50 lower. Slaughter bulls sold 1.25 lower. Trade was active with soft to moderate demand.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
981 981 4 109.00 $109.00 $1,069 —
1005 1005 2 75.00 $75.00 $754 —
1077–1110 1082 7 106.00 $106.00 $1,147 —
1195 1195 1 100.00 $100.00 $1,195 —
1070–1535 1380 8 111.00–116.50 $113.52 $1,567 -9.04
1396–1450 1423 2 107.50–108.50 $108.01 $1,537 —
1760 1760 1 99.00 $99.00 $1,742 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
805–1050 892 15 91.00–113.00 $105.28 $939 —
800–1135 1014 6 63.00–89.00 $78.33 $794 —
1025 1025 1 104.00 $104.00 $1,066 —
1051–1062 1058 11 105.50–106.00 $105.68 $1,118 —
1305 1305 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,370 -18.00
1110–1485 1368 22 111.00–117.00 $113.97 $1,559 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
825–1025 959 80-85% 6 74.00–90.00 $82.41 $790 —
970–1445 1199 80-85% 12 52.00–61.50 $59.14 $709 —
895–1530 1229 80-85% 83 62.00–72.50 $66.89 $822 —
1140–1400 1283 80-85% 6 73.50–76.00 $74.35 $954 +11.10
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1610 1433 75-80% 4 74.00–76.00 $74.77 $1,071 —
1225–1860 1470 75-80% 70 63.00–73.50 $67.74 $996 -5.47
1410–1870 1615 75-80% 7 39.00–62.50 $57.72 $932 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800 800 85-90% 2 85.00–99.00 $92.00 $736 —
715–1125 894 85-90% 7 40.00–51.00 $45.09 $403 —
875–1305 1074 85-90% 19 53.50–63.50 $58.34 $627 -1.88
1110 1110 85-90% 1 66.00 $66.00 $733 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1255–1565 1408 65-75% 5 80.50–96.00 $91.25 $1,285 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
980–2445 1419 6 62.50–84.50 $77.15 $1,095 —
1280–2305 1823 8 86.50–96.00 $92.47 $1,686 —
2215–2250 2233 2 98.50–105.50 $101.97 $2,277 —

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Reading this report

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.