Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, February 20, 2023

14,003 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $184.82/cwt +1.68 vs last sale · ≈ $1,530/hd at 828 lb · 1,028 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $196.14/cwt +8.39 vs last sale · ≈ $1,428/hd at 728 lb · 1,000 head
heavy 6-weight M&L 1 steers $199.89/cwt +2.20 vs last sale · ≈ $1,355/hd at 678 lb · 921 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 14,003 10,014 18,550
Feeder cattle 13,353 9,524 17,586
Slaughter cattle 650 490 964

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, choice steers and heifers sold 4.00 to 5.00 higher. Feeder steers and heifers overall sold uneven; 3.00 lower to 1.00 higher.

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
330–345 339 12 230.00–257.50 $246.46 $835 +11.46
353–398 377 60 215.00–274.00 $241.15 $909 +5.23
407–443 429 145 215.00–265.00 $245.26 $1,052 +13.51
436–448 fancy 442 19 257.00–259.00 $258.09 $1,141 —
455 fancy 455 13 263.00 $263.00 $1,197 —
456 unweaned 456 8 229.00 $229.00 $1,044 +11.41
450–498 478 259 211.00–264.00 $239.04 $1,143 -2.80
509 unweaned 509 8 226.00 $226.00 $1,150 —
507–513 fancy 511 45 231.00–255.00 $241.74 $1,235 —
502–549 530 317 184.00–269.00 $237.73 $1,260 +7.94
558 fancy 558 26 223.00 $223.00 $1,244 —
550–599 578 740 188.00–248.00 $223.95 $1,294 -0.58
584 unweaned 584 17 200.00 $200.00 $1,168 —
600–649 627 911 195.75–230.00 $212.32 $1,331 +3.62
650–698 678 921 180.50–215.00 $199.89 $1,355 +2.20
700–749 728 1,000 177.00–203.75 $196.14 $1,428 +8.39
750–798 774 721 171.00–197.25 $187.03 $1,448 +2.42
802–848 828 1,028 170.00–190.50 $184.82 $1,530 +1.68
851–878 860 387 175.75–187.50 $185.11 $1,592 +6.53
903–945 925 182 163.50–176.00 $172.39 $1,595 -0.74
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315 315 1 191.00 $191.00 $602 —
403–441 423 36 185.00–237.50 $216.76 $917 +14.76
461–496 488 13 200.00–215.00 $208.43 $1,017 —
500–541 527 43 167.50–217.00 $203.54 $1,073 +15.73
551–593 580 41 182.50–207.50 $195.17 $1,132 +5.17
617–626 620 54 150.00–195.00 $181.57 $1,126 -5.68
650–699 686 38 160.00–187.00 $175.50 $1,204 -7.31
723 723 6 170.00 $170.00 $1,229 -6.00
772 772 8 175.00 $175.00 $1,351 +15.00
853 853 3 163.00 $163.00 $1,390 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1188–1690 1384 26 150.00–162.00 $158.59 $2,195 +6.51
1230–1763 1484 115 160.00–172.50 $167.46 $2,485 +4.17
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1022 1022 11 165.75 $165.75 $1,694 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
280–290 285 3 170.00–180.00 $175.03 $499 —
305–338 327 25 197.50–225.00 $212.79 $696 -6.97
350–398 386 62 180.00–229.00 $216.27 $835 +12.77
405–447 427 129 190.00–225.00 $210.71 $900 -2.85
450–496 478 271 175.00–219.00 $206.68 $988 +14.71
500–549 528 841 180.00–218.50 $197.60 $1,043 -10.46
550–599 579 757 170.00–199.00 $189.27 $1,096 -0.14
601–649 632 837 161.00–195.50 $184.16 $1,164 +1.13
650–699 670 881 159.00–197.00 $182.00 $1,219 +0.94
700–748 727 627 157.00–194.25 $172.80 $1,256 -3.26
757–776 767 42 195.50 $195.50 $1,499 +23.34
752–799 782 482 142.00–179.75 $172.23 $1,347 +0.07
804–833 810 36 158.50–168.60 $165.90 $1,344 -0.04
824 fancy 824 17 175.00 $175.00 $1,442 —
855–893 873 48 145.00–166.00 $158.87 $1,387 -2.33
914–949 934 21 148.00–159.50 $154.95 $1,447 -0.05
957 957 17 162.50 $162.50 $1,555 +8.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
322–348 336 21 188.00–190.00 $189.09 $635 —
359 359 4 189.00 $189.00 $679 —
402–435 419 12 171.00–187.00 $183.29 $768 —
450–496 470 27 170.00–182.00 $176.65 $830 —
538–549 542 13 140.00–179.00 $166.54 $903 -16.68
560–566 565 4 153.00–153.50 $153.38 $867 -1.34
635–647 640 7 155.00–170.00 $161.50 $1,034 -16.23
659–670 664 24 155.00–167.00 $161.01 $1,069 -11.49
720–737 729 6 151.50–157.50 $154.46 $1,126 -11.54
766–768 767 11 154.00–160.50 $158.73 $1,217 +14.99
987 987 4 141.00 $141.00 $1,392 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1500 1297 26 154.00–162.00 $159.83 $2,073 +4.56
1150–1650 1341 86 163.00–172.00 $166.68 $2,235 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1026 1026 4 141.00 $141.00 $1,447 -9.00
1355 1355 3 147.00 $147.00 $1,992 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 202.00 $202.00 $727 —
438 438 2 201.00 $201.00 $880 —
502–535 510 4 186.00–196.00 $188.62 $962 —
590 590 2 176.00 $176.00 $1,038 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
590 590 3 159.00 $159.00 $938 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125–1870 1401 75-80% 44 83.00–94.00 $89.53 $1,254 —
1200–1885 1475 75-80% 52 92.00–106.00 $96.34 $1,421 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1400 1231 80-85% 10 89.00–91.50 $90.83 $1,118 +13.74
1035–1740 1265 80-85% 44 76.00–88.50 $83.65 $1,058 -1.13
1265–1760 1533 80-85% 12 65.00–79.50 $72.96 $1,118 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–1275 1033 85-90% 2 30.00–57.00 $46.67 $482 —
820–1725 1211 85-90% 29 60.00–80.00 $73.13 $886 -8.04

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1524–2215 1805 12 114.00–125.50 $117.90 $2,128 —
1240–2490 1835 12 81.00–112.00 $102.36 $1,878 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1335–1570 1508 7 140.00–151.50 $146.55 $2,210 —
1470–1610 1518 3 136.00–139.00 $137.71 $2,090 —

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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.