Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, July 26, 2021

2,549 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $161.76/cwt +8.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,239/hd at 766 lb · 262 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $157.34/cwt +1.46 vs last sale · ≈ $1,311/hd at 833 lb · 186 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 heifers $137.76/cwt +2.01 vs last sale · ≈ $1,157/hd at 840 lb · 181 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 2,549 4,396 3,346
Feeder cattle 1,518 2,503 1,777
Slaughter cattle 1,031 1,893 1,569

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Choice steers and heifers .50 to 1.50 higher. Feeder steers 600 to 899 lbs steady to 14.00 higher on limited offering. Feeder heifers 500 to 699 lbs 4.00 to 9.00 higher, 700 to 799 lbs 5.00 to 8.00 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
492 492 4 183.00 $183.00 $900 +8.00
503–510 505 10 178.00–181.00 $178.91 $903 -8.59
600–611 604 34 168.00–178.00 $175.85 $1,062 +14.49
663–687 673 35 159.00–168.50 $162.96 $1,097 +0.50
738 738 3 161.00 $161.00 $1,188 +3.54
760–777 766 262 154.50–165.00 $161.76 $1,239 +8.41
815–842 833 186 157.00–157.50 $157.34 $1,311 +1.46
859–891 866 68 145.00–156.00 $153.88 $1,333 +13.93
908–914 912 24 142.00–146.00 $144.51 $1,318 —
1028–1029 1029 24 130.00–131.00 $130.63 $1,344 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1360 1092 14 80.00–123.25 $108.39 $1,184 —
1010–1240 1134 5 106.50–113.00 $110.75 $1,256 +5.82
963–1364 1196 74 114.25–124.50 $119.16 $1,425 —
1060–1655 1272 66 112.50–123.75 $120.62 $1,534 +1.78
1150–1670 1374 286 116.00–131.25 $125.85 $1,729 +1.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
708 708 3 136.00 $136.00 $963 —
780 780 3 147.00 $147.00 $1,147 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
371 371 4 164.00 $164.00 $608 —
458 458 6 169.00 $169.00 $774 +9.59
502–541 527 20 157.00–163.00 $161.00 $848 +8.53
603–644 628 42 152.00–157.00 $155.96 $979 +7.85
654–665 661 20 149.00–158.00 $152.12 $1,006 +3.89
703–748 741 175 135.00–145.00 $140.89 $1,044 -7.88
767–782 768 53 136.50–140.50 $136.81 $1,051 -4.96
806–845 840 181 136.75–142.00 $137.76 $1,157 +2.01
855–863 860 101 136.75–140.50 $138.12 $1,188 -3.48
908–915 913 11 135.50–142.50 $140.60 $1,284 —
971 971 3 133.00 $133.00 $1,291 —
1072 1072 7 130.00 $130.00 $1,394 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
895–1250 1051 12 82.00–115.75 $99.19 $1,042 —
1040–1150 1095 2 100.00–105.00 $102.37 $1,121 —
933–1336 1133 21 111.00–120.00 $117.10 $1,327 +10.28
1000–1415 1171 31 116.50–123.00 $120.80 $1,415 —
1055–1615 1254 176 116.50–129.50 $125.33 $1,572 +0.51
1383–1440 1402 3 91.00–93.00 $91.68 $1,285 —
1800 1800 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,980 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
432 432 4 159.00 $159.00 $687 +19.00
602–638 613 10 141.00–147.00 $145.13 $890 —
755–794 779 8 112.00–117.00 $113.82 $887 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1140–2375 1431 75-80% 45 72.00–79.00 $76.62 $1,096 —
1230–1830 1512 75-80% 44 80.00–85.00 $82.04 $1,240 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
755–1370 1027 85-90% 8 21.00–49.00 $36.93 $379 —
930–1530 1218 85-90% 27 51.00–64.00 $59.54 $725 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1750 1260 80-85% 33 63.00–71.00 $67.36 $849 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1340–2080 1621 65-75% 7 86.00–91.00 $87.57 $1,420 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275 1275 1 62.00 $62.00 $790 —
930–2125 1563 21 77.50–99.00 $90.83 $1,420 —
1535–2245 1846 7 100.00–106.00 $103.75 $1,915 -1.28
YG3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125–1365 1245 2 90.50–93.50 $91.86 $1,144 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1450 1304 4 85.00–101.00 $96.18 $1,254 —
1390 1390 1 81.00 $81.00 $1,126 +7.53
1225–1830 1520 32 105.00–118.00 $110.96 $1,687 +0.24

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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.