Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, April 19, 2021

8,017 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary report →

light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $133.53/cwt -6.02 vs last sale · ≈ $976/hd at 731 lb · 528 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $147.29/cwt -7.50 vs last sale · ≈ $1,086/hd at 737 lb · 384 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $129.56/cwt -11.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,147/hd at 885 lb · 280 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 8,017 11,934 5,486
Feeder cattle 6,246 9,898 5,486
Slaughter cattle 1,771 2,036 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Choice steers and heifers 1.00 to 2.00 lower. Feeder steers 450 to 499 lbs steady to 6.00 higher, 500 to 649 lbs 4.00 to 6.00 lower, 650 to 949 lbs 8.00 to 16.00 lower. Feeder heifers 400 to 549 lbs 4.00 to 11.00 higher, 550 to 749 lbs 2.00 to 8.00 lower. 750 to 849 lbs 10.00 to 12.00 lower.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
295 295 22 235.00 $235.00 $693 +40.05
323 323 3 217.00 $217.00 $701 +9.21
350–395 375 38 187.00–216.00 $200.45 $752 -10.55
406–449 441 127 181.00–212.00 $194.19 $856 +0.05
457–475 468 62 178.00–200.00 $188.37 $882 +6.42
469–483 unweaned 480 60 167.50–185.00 $171.92 $825 -1.08
511 unweaned 511 8 181.00 $181.00 $925 +7.25
510–549 529 117 166.50–191.00 $177.18 $937 -5.88
557–598 574 149 159.00–190.00 $169.76 $974 -3.94
600–625 615 136 158.00–172.50 $162.61 $1,000 +14.62
658–690 675 216 146.50–159.75 $153.29 $1,035 -12.55
713–749 737 384 143.25–153.00 $147.29 $1,086 -7.50
754 754 8 123.00 $123.00 $927 -29.52
751–786 768 100 126.00–140.50 $135.80 $1,043 -16.72
809–841 827 223 131.25–136.00 $133.40 $1,103 -10.68
863–897 885 280 124.00–132.50 $129.56 $1,147 -11.41
919–942 926 101 115.00–125.00 $119.91 $1,110 -12.83
950 950 142 124.50 $124.50 $1,183 -9.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1375 1089 13 91.00–113.00 $103.94 $1,132 -1.53
1190–1262 1244 4 115.00–116.00 $115.76 $1,440 —
1045–1592 1263 55 100.00–121.25 $113.10 $1,428 -4.25
1224–1525 1304 21 90.00–97.00 $91.27 $1,190 —
1230–1708 1435 300 121.00–127.50 $125.05 $1,794 -0.96
1300–1497 1436 83 112.00–122.25 $117.28 $1,684 -4.37
1550–1785 1655 51 112.00–122.25 $117.91 $1,951 —
1700–1800 1741 8 115.75–117.25 $116.53 $2,029 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
340 340 3 180.00 $180.00 $612 —
437 437 3 177.00 $177.00 $773 -3.17
475–499 491 27 157.50–185.00 $163.71 $804 -8.61
503–529 518 59 160.00–181.00 $166.93 $865 -5.35
551–591 570 87 147.00–158.00 $153.28 $874 -3.61
583 unweaned 583 6 145.00 $145.00 $845 -7.00
607–643 634 104 132.00–154.75 $150.27 $953 +3.54
653–689 666 44 130.00–140.50 $135.98 $906 -12.53
700–747 716 35 121.50–138.00 $130.17 $932 -10.68
768–774 773 19 120.00–125.50 $121.15 $936 -15.88
871–896 881 10 108.00–121.00 $113.29 $998 —
953 953 8 115.00 $115.00 $1,096 -5.25
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
190–191 190 22 207.50–215.00 $210.92 $401 —
310 310 4 160.00 $160.00 $496 —
360 360 2 127.50 $127.50 $459 —
403–418 405 19 110.00–135.00 $114.07 $462 —
495–497 496 34 113.00–120.00 $116.29 $577 —
500–535 508 26 95.00–140.00 $108.35 $550 —
558–593 578 43 82.00–116.00 $107.84 $623 —
667–699 683 30 91.00–125.00 $103.80 $709 —
755–795 759 36 82.50–96.00 $87.64 $665 —
833–837 834 18 80.00–89.25 $87.19 $727 —
877 877 4 84.00 $84.00 $737 —
908 908 7 100.00 $100.00 $908 —
1110 1110 3 85.00 $85.00 $944 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
607 unweaned 607 28 142.00 $142.00 $862 —
681–698 691 20 132.00–136.00 $133.58 $923 —
1002–1013 1012 61 110.00–120.00 $119.03 $1,205 -6.14

↑ Back to top

Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
327–346 335 27 179.00–183.00 $181.32 $607 +3.51
377 377 11 155.00 $155.00 $584 -13.37
400–445 423 137 157.00–180.00 $172.00 $728 +10.85
456 unweaned 456 33 161.25 $161.25 $735 +6.82
457–496 475 165 153.00–167.00 $163.50 $777 +5.28
484 484 20 168.50 $168.50 $816 +10.28
502–548 523 98 152.00–163.25 $157.57 $824 +3.70
550–596 574 122 137.50–151.00 $145.91 $838 -1.50
579 unweaned 579 28 151.50 $151.50 $877 —
602–646 619 221 131.50–143.00 $140.42 $869 -8.32
642 642 23 147.00 $147.00 $944 +18.18
653–696 674 150 127.00–139.00 $135.04 $910 -8.24
695 695 30 145.00 $145.00 $1,008 +20.00
700–711 705 37 142.00–144.00 $143.02 $1,008 +3.59
709–746 733 491 125.00–136.00 $132.82 $974 -6.61
752–798 773 44 117.50–130.50 $123.46 $954 -12.21
782–798 797 77 151.00–159.00 $158.49 $1,263 +22.82
801–846 816 112 119.00–125.00 $123.85 $1,011 -27.16
808–836 828 73 142.00–161.00 $147.08 $1,218 +13.72
861–883 873 254 119.10–122.00 $120.42 $1,051 -7.46
904–908 907 19 138.00–148.00 $144.33 $1,309 +19.83
948 948 4 111.00 $111.00 $1,052 —
953 953 4 132.00 $132.00 $1,258 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
904 904 9 130.50 $130.50 $1,180 —
950 950 1 83.00 $83.00 $788 —
925–1168 1043 10 87.00–115.00 $105.13 $1,097 —
1145 1145 6 115.50 $115.50 $1,322 +4.04
1200–1245 1218 5 95.00–97.00 $95.82 $1,167 -2.47
1234–1271 1242 23 111.00–112.00 $111.48 $1,385 -11.96
1015–1555 1276 69 105.00–121.75 $116.77 $1,490 -0.70
1308–1373 1319 87 116.00–121.10 $120.73 $1,592 +0.65
1114–1563 1331 189 121.50–127.75 $124.70 $1,660 -1.82
1400–1450 1425 28 117.00–119.50 $118.53 $1,689 —
1438–1566 1529 7 112.00–113.00 $112.27 $1,717 -5.66
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
272–286 280 7 151.00–152.00 $151.42 $424 —
315 315 3 151.00 $151.00 $476 +10.00
359–366 363 8 150.00 $150.00 $544 —
420–445 431 27 141.00–161.00 $151.38 $652 +2.38
457–497 490 22 131.00–149.00 $141.51 $693 +3.01
510–538 521 23 140.50–147.00 $143.58 $748 +1.59
572–593 576 30 134.00–134.50 $134.40 $774 +3.12
613–645 628 27 118.00–130.00 $126.20 $793 -6.96
653–696 684 19 116.00–126.50 $122.68 $839 -6.29
728 728 4 120.50 $120.50 $877 -8.80
788 788 3 111.00 $111.00 $875 -13.50
811 811 7 115.00 $115.00 $933 —
858 858 3 105.00 $105.00 $901 —
905 905 3 112.00 $112.00 $1,014 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
366–393 378 22 110.00–114.00 $111.89 $423 —
571 571 7 120.00 $120.00 $685 —
679 679 11 115.00 $115.00 $781 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
648 648 5 126.00 $126.00 $816 —
688 688 5 117.00 $117.00 $805 —
1018 1018 12 111.00 $111.00 $1,130 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
970–1945 1371 80-85% 127 55.00–69.00 $65.01 $891 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1145–2075 1493 75-80% 111 69.00–79.00 $73.14 $1,092 -8.54
1555–1835 1660 75-80% 4 80.00–94.00 $83.55 $1,387 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730–1400 981 85-90% 17 25.00–48.00 $38.44 $377 —
780–1515 1145 85-90% 42 45.00–62.00 $55.02 $630 —

↑ Back to top

Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1855 1295 6 64.00–76.50 $72.97 $945 —
1315–1800 1634 5 100.00–106.00 $101.75 $1,663 —
955–2455 1696 22 78.00–97.00 $87.38 $1,482 —

↑ Back to top

Dairy Heifers

Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
770 770 29 80.00 $80.00 $616 —
Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
712 712 11 68.00 $68.00 $484 —

↑ Back to top

Dairy Steers

Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
180–198 186 9 105.00–110.00 $107.68 $200 —
215–237 225 15 125.00–130.00 $129.10 $290 —
255–290 277 42 100.00–130.00 $116.51 $323 —
339–346 344 19 95.00–115.00 $102.30 $352 —
353–392 370 32 82.50–126.00 $109.70 $406 —
425–438 434 22 90.00–95.00 $90.22 $392 —
489 489 12 92.00 $92.00 $450 —
506–525 507 40 82.50–87.00 $86.38 $438 —
615–635 618 31 72.50–82.00 $79.50 $491 —
738 738 5 66.00 $66.00 $487 —
920 920 4 70.00 $70.00 $644 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
969–995 979 8 100.00–108.00 $103.05 $1,009 —
1160–1655 1347 23 80.00–99.00 $86.73 $1,168 —
1145–1695 1437 22 100.00–102.00 $100.72 $1,447 +27.45
1320–1677 1486 100 90.00–108.75 $99.67 $1,481 -3.92
1210–1595 1531 7 72.00–73.00 $72.55 $1,111 -30.21
Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
497 497 17 113.00 $113.00 $562 —
539 539 15 101.00 $101.00 $544 —
608–625 610 8 90.00–95.00 $94.36 $576 —
708–714 711 17 81.00–84.00 $82.59 $587 —
796 796 7 88.50 $88.50 $704 —
825 825 4 88.00 $88.00 $726 —
871 871 52 90.25 $90.25 $786 —
913–928 921 12 79.00–81.00 $80.01 $737 —
958–976 971 23 78.00–79.00 $78.59 $763 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1024 1024 6 70.00 $70.00 $717 —
1065 1065 15 70.50 $70.50 $751 —
1123 1123 33 76.50 $76.50 $859 —
1155–1193 1163 18 70.00–76.00 $73.86 $859 —
Large 3-4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
235–248 thin fleshed 245 4 67.50–82.50 $71.10 $174 —
288 288 6 67.50 $67.50 $194 —
349 349 9 82.50 $82.50 $288 —
355–387 374 5 62.50–72.50 $66.29 $248 —
439 439 10 67.50 $67.50 $296 —
465 465 1 77.50 $77.50 $360 —
585 585 2 67.50 $67.50 $395 —
642 642 3 67.50 $67.50 $433 —

↑ Back to top

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.