Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 19, 2022

2,050 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 steers $183.53/cwt +4.36 vs last sale · ≈ $1,323/hd at 721 lb · 147 head

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $193.01/cwt +10.32 vs last sale · ≈ $1,291/hd at 669 lb · 140 head

light 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $186.83/cwt +9.20 vs last sale · ≈ $990/hd at 530 lb · 123 head

Receipts

Head	This sale	Last sale	Last year
Total receipts	2,050	13,136	608
Feeder cattle	1,449	12,360	0
Slaughter cattle	601	776	608

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, slaughter choice steers and heifers sold 2.00 to 3.00 higher. Feeder steers and heifers under 800 lbs sold on a light test due to lighter receipts this week, though a higher undertone was noted. No comparison on feeder steers and heifers over 800 lbs.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
382–397	390	6	240.00–242.50	$241.23	$941	+18.51
411–436	426	10	222.00–238.00	$228.17	$972	+5.91
451–496	468	80	212.50–227.00	$216.49	$1,013	+2.33
505–548	532	114	198.00–213.00	$204.96	$1,090	-4.14
551–590	575	92	191.00–211.00	$202.60	$1,165	+1.77
601–649	623	75	191.00–205.00	$200.86	$1,251	+10.78
651–692	669	140	181.00–199.50	$193.01	$1,291	+8.88
703–740	721	147	178.00–185.00	$183.53	$1,323	+4.48
760–771	766	17	168.00–173.00	$170.34	$1,305	-4.48
809	809	18	167.00	$167.00	$1,351	-10.60

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1040–1370	1206	9	121.00–135.00	$128.05	$1,544	-17.26
1185–1660	1414	17	140.00–148.50	$145.19	$2,053	—
1285–1716	1488	189	150.00–162.00	$156.67	$2,331	—

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
447	447	12	181.00	$181.00	$809	-0.79
471–498	478	36	195.00–201.00	$197.22	$943	+11.72
520–521	521	12	175.00–192.50	$179.37	$935	-1.45
550–563	559	10	167.50–172.00	$170.67	$954	+2.09
626–633	628	11	145.00–184.00	$173.28	$1,088	-7.39
673–699	688	7	172.50–173.00	$172.79	$1,189	+7.88
728	728	3	161.00	$161.00	$1,172	+3.29
858	858	3	152.00	$152.00	$1,304	-13.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
341	341	7	201.00	$201.00	$685	+21.08
372–378	376	9	200.00–202.50	$200.82	$755	+9.82
407–449	426	45	189.00–198.00	$192.07	$818	+9.56
452–497	491	59	187.00–193.50	$190.37	$935	+6.75
502–547	530	123	183.00–193.00	$186.83	$990	+7.84
554–598	582	101	169.00–187.00	$177.35	$1,032	+4.10
600–643	627	118	165.00–179.00	$174.51	$1,094	+6.51
663–699	681	76	155.00–169.00	$159.79	$1,088	-12.39
700–732	713	20	149.00–153.00	$151.19	$1,078	-15.11
773	773	4	154.50	$154.50	$1,194	-13.33

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1040–1170	1104	7	110.00–141.00	$130.45	$1,440	-3.32
1105–1550	1307	29	140.00–149.00	$146.58	$1,916	—
1200–1618	1383	166	150.00–162.00	$156.64	$2,166	+2.23

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
414–427	419	8	177.50–180.00	$179.04	$750	+16.04
609–636	620	32	155.00–160.00	$156.38	$970	-6.22
673	673	5	150.00	$150.00	$1,010	+2.21

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
995–1640	1319	80-85%	65	60.00–71.50	$65.19	$860	—

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1165–2165	1506	75-80%	28	72.00–80.00	$75.57	$1,138	—

Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Dressing	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
970–1245	1101	85-90%	5	27.00–46.00	$35.73	$393	—
990–1500	1161	85-90%	17	50.00–59.00	$54.84	$637	—

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb)	Avg wt	Head	Price range	Avg $	≈ $/hd	Δ last sale
1095–1740	1418	2	60.00–71.00	$66.75	$947	—
1510–2540	1986	14	80.00–96.00	$87.90	$1,746	—

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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.