Cattle Market Pulse

Fairview Sale Barn Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Fairview, Illinois · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, December 19, 2023

346 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 346 487 358
Slaughter cattle 346 487 358

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter steers and heifers sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Slaughter cows sold 2.00 to 5.00 higher. Slaughter bulls sokd 6.00 higher. Trade was active with 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
1060 1060 1 120.00 $120.00 $1,272 +10.00
1130–1662 1354 10 130.00–162.00 $143.03 $1,937 -6.27
1395–1420 1408 2 159.00–161.50 $160.26 $2,256 —
1245–1575 1449 43 163.00–173.00 $168.54 $2,442 —
1520–1530 1523 15 175.00–176.00 $175.67 $2,675 —
1722–1800 1733 7 166.00–166.50 $166.43 $2,884 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
795–960 878 2 130.00–138.00 $134.38 $1,180 —
1005–1195 1093 6 137.50–154.00 $144.37 $1,578 +45.59
1145–1491 1347 7 143.00–161.00 $155.97 $2,101 —
1297–1530 1423 27 166.50–173.50 $170.45 $2,426 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1305–1690 1423 75-80% 12 85.00–94.00 $92.10 $1,311 —
1145–1840 1515 75-80% 62 95.00–108.00 $101.61 $1,539 +15.27
1460–1810 1686 75-80% 12 109.00–114.00 $112.07 $1,890 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950–1220 1090 80-85% 6 82.50–125.00 $103.36 $1,127 —
1040–2015 1301 80-85% 33 83.00–95.00 $87.91 $1,144 -5.85
1175–1525 1330 80-85% 10 62.50–82.00 $75.34 $1,002 -10.83
1180–1800 1384 80-85% 10 96.00–108.00 $100.32 $1,388 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
875–1040 958 85-90% 2 75.00–77.00 $76.09 $729 —
950–1310 1105 85-90% 13 67.50–77.50 $73.07 $807 —
925–1300 1130 85-90% 7 42.50–65.00 $55.68 $629 —
1105–1190 1140 85-90% 3 78.00–84.00 $80.75 $921 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1530 1530 65-75% 1 114.00 $114.00 $1,744 -28.00
1210–2025 1543 65-75% 5 117.00–130.00 $120.83 $1,864 -21.17
1445–1665 1555 65-75% 2 147.00–148.00 $147.54 $2,294 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020 1020 1 122.50 $122.50 $1,250 —
825–2020 1374 23 67.50–111.00 $94.53 $1,299 —
1435 1435 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,794 —
1295–1695 1495 2 126.00–135.00 $129.90 $1,942 —
1050–2385 1630 14 112.00–122.50 $117.05 $1,908 —

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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.