Cattle Market Pulse

Fairview Sale Barn Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Fairview, Illinois · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 14, 2021

536 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 536 425 410
Slaughter cattle 536 425 410

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter steers and slaughter heifers sold 1.00 to 2.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold mixed, with Breakers trading steady, Boners 1.00 lower, and Leans 3.25 higher. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00 lower. Trade was active with moderate to good 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
895–980 945 3 100.00–115.00 $108.12 $1,022 —
815–1260 1054 11 80.00–93.00 $84.42 $890 -0.58
1155–1525 1277 13 116.00–134.00 $127.72 $1,631 +6.07
1285–1597 1449 9 127.00–136.00 $134.10 $1,943 -0.21
1235–1695 1485 60 137.00–143.50 $140.41 $2,085 -7.09
1390–1580 1515 3 119.00–130.00 $124.20 $1,882 —
1475–1591 1543 15 146.00–149.50 $148.49 $2,291 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
727–995 816 3 113.00–117.00 $114.63 $935 —
875 875 1 50.00 $50.00 $438 —
1070–1270 1139 9 125.00–135.00 $130.57 $1,487 +20.05
865–1925 1164 10 65.00–98.00 $81.25 $946 —
1070–1280 1175 2 111.00–114.00 $112.37 $1,320 —
1090–1570 1313 12 131.00–136.00 $133.62 $1,754 -0.98
1110–1600 1339 67 137.00–144.00 $141.04 $1,889 —
1302–1472 1390 39 145.00–149.00 $145.99 $2,029 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–1005 948 80-85% 3 68.00–73.00 $70.69 $670 —
1035–1630 1304 80-85% 27 34.00–53.50 $49.33 $643 —
955–1980 1321 80-85% 69 54.00–64.00 $57.23 $756 —
1355 1355 80-85% 1 25.00 $25.00 $339 —
1290–1575 1441 80-85% 4 65.00–67.00 $66.01 $951 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1118–1825 1399 75-80% 29 50.00–59.00 $55.02 $770 —
1310–1900 1566 75-80% 42 60.00–70.00 $64.90 $1,016 —
1560–1815 1719 75-80% 8 72.00–77.50 $73.79 $1,268 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
780–1290 1006 85-90% 7 20.00–39.00 $33.96 $342 +4.25
860–1255 1073 85-90% 13 41.50–52.00 $47.27 $507 +3.33
1170 1170 85-90% 1 10.00 $10.00 $117 —
1340 1340 85-90% 1 53.00 $53.00 $710 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1400–1660 1503 65-75% 4 106.00–124.00 $117.03 $1,759 —
1230–2170 1505 65-75% 11 71.00–85.50 $78.73 $1,185 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
840–1940 1449 12 51.00–77.00 $70.52 $1,022 —
1755–2045 1870 5 91.00–96.50 $92.85 $1,736 —
1400–2440 1875 10 78.00–88.00 $82.25 $1,542 —

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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.