Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, July 17, 2023

5,003 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 9-weight M&L 1 heifers $217.00/cwt ≈ $2,027/hd at 934 lb · 191 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 heifers $266.87/cwt +1.54 vs last sale · ≈ $1,535/hd at 575 lb · 185 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $256.50/cwt -2.55 vs last sale · ≈ $1,893/hd at 738 lb · 182 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 5,003 6,198 1,736
Feeder cattle 2,755 4,038 0
Slaughter cattle 2,248 2,160 1,736

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, choice steers and heifers sold 1.00 to 2.00 higher. Feeder steers under 800 lbs sold 2.00 to 6.00 lower, with instances of 3.00 higher from 650 to 700 lbs. Feeder steers over 800 lbs sold on a light test, though a lower undertone was noted. Feeder heifers under 600 lbs sold 2.00 to 8.00 higher; 600 to 700 lbs steady to 4.00 lower; 700 to 800 lbs 2.00 to 7.00 higher; over 800 lbs no comparison due to no reported heifers over 800 lbs last week.

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
381–388 383 17 288.00–300.00 $292.26 $1,119 —
413–445 439 73 285.00–311.00 $305.19 $1,340 -2.81
453–496 477 42 284.00–303.00 $296.01 $1,412 +1.96
506–544 523 70 254.00–315.00 $300.07 $1,569 +11.96
553–594 572 88 271.00–305.50 $293.17 $1,677 -7.68
612–649 628 69 267.50–289.00 $278.43 $1,749 -4.49
655–687 665 100 243.00–266.25 $263.45 $1,752 +3.19
707–746 738 182 232.50–258.50 $256.50 $1,893 -2.55
790 790 62 248.50 $248.50 $1,963 -3.48
806–808 808 72 250.00–256.10 $255.51 $2,065 +0.69
851–876 868 107 234.25–242.00 $238.77 $2,073 -5.61
908–913 910 10 223.00–227.00 $225.39 $2,051 -9.09
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1030–1154 1118 24 180.50–197.00 $186.88 $2,089 —
1005–1360 1139 24 146.00–184.00 $171.63 $1,955 —
1065–1235 1178 6 170.50–178.00 $174.33 $2,054 -5.52
1100–1955 1384 157 170.00–180.00 $176.28 $2,440 +1.01
1186–1725 1432 631 180.00–190.00 $184.89 $2,648 +1.45
1275–1623 1479 9 161.00–169.00 $163.05 $2,412 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
402–419 412 14 259.00–277.50 $269.87 $1,112 +2.96
490–491 490 19 265.00–270.00 $266.84 $1,308 +34.57
506 506 9 260.00 $260.00 $1,316 +7.05
582–598 588 15 251.00–261.00 $254.09 $1,494 +3.34
648 648 6 246.00 $246.00 $1,594 —
666 666 6 219.00 $219.00 $1,459 —
735 735 3 205.00 $205.00 $1,507 -12.00
801 801 5 219.00 $219.00 $1,754 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025 1025 4 208.50 $208.50 $2,137 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
318 318 3 275.00 $275.00 $874 —
354–399 375 39 240.00–270.00 $261.51 $981 —
419–448 437 45 250.00–285.00 $269.60 $1,178 -11.04
464 fancy 464 6 282.00 $282.00 $1,308 —
452–499 472 107 234.00–263.00 $250.37 $1,182 -27.89
503–549 529 116 240.00–274.25 $263.95 $1,396 +9.78
551–586 575 185 250.00–277.00 $266.87 $1,535 +1.54
603–649 634 99 236.00–265.00 $255.44 $1,619 -4.84
650–693 670 54 232.50–260.00 $244.72 $1,640 -0.41
705–748 733 69 210.00–242.00 $236.86 $1,736 +7.02
751–787 773 52 201.00–252.50 $235.00 $1,817 +1.40
823–833 827 13 205.00–219.50 $211.10 $1,746 -9.31
891–892 fancy 892 132 219.75–220.35 $220.05 $1,963 —
897–898 898 18 190.00–224.50 $218.76 $1,964 —
917–942 fancy 934 185 217.00–218.25 $217.84 $2,035 —
944 944 6 191.00 $191.00 $1,803 —
994 994 55 204.85 $204.85 $2,036 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–1210 1023 22 130.00–173.00 $157.36 $1,610 —
910–1195 1058 20 183.00–205.00 $186.68 $1,975 +18.11
940–1232 1147 6 169.50–177.50 $175.56 $2,014 +2.52
1092–1555 1297 490 176.00–190.00 $184.87 $2,398 +10.69
1050–1548 1343 88 170.00–180.00 $174.84 $2,348 —
1295–1685 1412 16 150.00–167.50 $158.76 $2,242 +1.60
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1003 1003 55 204.50 $204.50 $2,051 +19.50
1118 1118 9 155.00 $155.00 $1,733 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
348 348 3 182.50 $182.50 $635 —
554 554 4 246.00 $246.00 $1,363 +26.29
721 721 4 210.00 $210.00 $1,514 —

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Feeder Bulls

Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1004 1004 15 182.00 $182.00 $1,827 —
1111 1111 7 143.00 $143.00 $1,589 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
634 634 5 206.00 $206.00 $1,306 -14.00

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1190–1980 1418 75-80% 54 111.00–120.00 $115.35 $1,636 —
1000–1970 1431 75-80% 69 102.00–111.00 $106.97 $1,531 —
1300–1645 1439 75-80% 8 90.00–98.00 $93.82 $1,350 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1820 1284 80-85% 47 94.00–103.00 $98.03 $1,259 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
730–1290 1004 85-90% 10 41.00–69.00 $59.44 $597 —
745–1420 1105 85-90% 36 70.00–93.00 $85.08 $940 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205–1955 1583 65-75% 37 120.00–156.00 $128.49 $2,034 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–1160 1009 6 140.00–172.50 $148.92 $1,503 —
1280 1280 1 86.00 $86.00 $1,101 —
1035–2520 1567 34 101.00–129.00 $120.52 $1,889 —
1215–2265 1755 27 130.00–150.00 $136.63 $2,398 —

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Dairy Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1043–1371 1294 12 124.00–132.00 $126.39 $1,635 —
1390–1395 1393 3 151.00–167.00 $156.32 $2,178 —
1505 1505 1 151.00 $151.00 $2,273 +3.00
1430–1555 1513 3 141.00–145.00 $142.26 $2,152 -5.74

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1090–1340 1245 4 127.00–134.00 $130.62 $1,626 —
1240–1655 1507 18 140.00–150.00 $146.81 $2,212 -13.28
1280–1760 1516 27 153.00–166.00 $160.06 $2,427 -0.03
1398–1863 1593 43 152.00–177.00 $158.11 $2,519 —

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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.