Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 14, 2023

3,599 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $262.48/cwt +8.41 vs last sale · ≈ $1,769/hd at 674 lb · 219 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $274.14/cwt +16.45 vs last sale · ≈ $1,982/hd at 723 lb · 154 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 heifers $278.71/cwt +16.03 vs last sale · ≈ $1,725/hd at 619 lb · 124 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,599 5,228 4,119
Feeder cattle 1,366 3,637 2,823
Slaughter cattle 2,233 1,591 1,296

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week, choice steers and heifers sold 3.00 to 4.00 lower. Feeder steers and heifers overall sold on a light supply this week, however a lower undertone was noted.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
830–1185 1102 29 139.00–190.00 $184.29 $2,031 —
870–1233 1123 29 176.00–219.00 $198.34 $2,227 —
1140–1222 1202 4 166.50–172.50 $167.92 $2,018 -8.78
1125–1575 1316 75 166.00–184.00 $177.42 $2,335 -3.07
1275–1399 1364 10 151.00–158.00 $155.88 $2,126 —
1140–1745 1426 785 176.00–193.75 $186.78 $2,663 +24.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
400 400 3 310.00 $310.00 $1,240 —
540–549 543 43 273.00–312.00 $288.95 $1,569 -7.26
548 unweaned 548 7 282.00 $282.00 $1,545 -8.00
559 559 19 290.00–312.00 $306.21 $1,712 +8.48
659–684 675 106 269.50–287.75 $276.17 $1,864 +17.01
708–749 723 154 271.00–278.25 $274.14 $1,982 +16.45
772–787 783 62 245.00–250.00 $248.73 $1,948 -7.49
808 808 62 252.75 $252.75 $2,042 +2.55
861–876 874 60 246.00–248.00 $247.70 $2,165 +0.06
912 912 64 239.25 $239.25 $2,182 +7.68
978 978 6 219.00 $219.00 $2,142 -15.09
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
533 533 3 265.00 $265.00 $1,412 —
583 583 5 275.00 $275.00 $1,603 +8.40
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1255 1255 6 186.50 $186.50 $2,341 —

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Feeder Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1252 1006 21 145.00–195.00 $164.28 $1,653 —
939–1238 1140 80 175.50–211.50 $187.53 $2,138 —
1055–1225 1142 22 162.50–173.50 $168.77 $1,927 —
1005–1618 1238 60 161.00–184.00 $176.92 $2,190 —
1102–1640 1309 451 176.00–193.50 $187.36 $2,453 —
1285–1569 1412 41 146.50–156.00 $148.85 $2,102 —
1440–1510 1489 8 180.00–181.00 $180.31 $2,685 —
1705 1705 1 160.50 $160.50 $2,737 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
466 466 5 255.00 $255.00 $1,188 -20.97
512–521 515 43 292.00–295.00 $293.19 $1,510 +24.48
552–596 584 115 271.00–283.75 $280.40 $1,638 +22.45
600–628 619 124 261.00–283.00 $278.71 $1,725 +16.03
658–697 674 219 257.50–271.00 $262.48 $1,769 +8.41
771–796 775 71 233.00–235.00 $234.68 $1,819 -11.31
815 815 3 226.00 $226.00 $1,842 -11.78
864–898 881 23 208.00–228.50 $222.52 $1,960 -14.08
941 941 4 202.00 $202.00 $1,901 -22.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
573 573 3 231.00 $231.00 $1,324 -21.00
614 614 8 253.00 $253.00 $1,553 +14.00
658–699 683 10 222.00–247.50 $231.83 $1,583 +13.83
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1002 1002 3 188.00 $188.00 $1,884 —
1162 1162 8 155.00 $155.00 $1,801 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
504 unweaned 504 11 293.00 $293.00 $1,477 —
513 513 3 280.00 $280.00 $1,436 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1125–1795 1371 75-80% 72 110.00–119.50 $114.90 $1,575 —
1200–1880 1516 75-80% 47 119.00–128.00 $124.49 $1,887 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1740 1243 80-85% 85 101.50–110.50 $106.21 $1,320 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
790–1455 1115 85-90% 65 74.00–101.00 $93.40 $1,041 -1.11
1025–1320 1190 85-90% 3 50.00–65.00 $57.73 $687 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1390–2025 1611 65-75% 14 129.00–133.00 $130.51 $2,103 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935–1005 970 2 157.50–165.00 $161.11 $1,563 —
1170–1460 1315 2 95.00–96.00 $95.56 $1,257 —
1175–1965 1461 21 108.00–134.00 $124.17 $1,814 -1.75
1235–1960 1637 12 130.00–151.00 $139.46 $2,283 +38.25

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Dairy Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1202 1202 5 131.00 $131.00 $1,575 —
1290 1290 1 171.00 $171.00 $2,206 —
1358–1371 1367 6 144.00–153.00 $150.02 $2,051 —
1515 1515 1 156.00 $156.00 $2,363 —
1550–1790 1618 4 133.00–139.00 $135.30 $2,189 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
785 785 3 108.00 $108.00 $848 —
1045–1447 1336 9 120.00–143.00 $138.01 $1,844 —
1392–1395 1393 8 154.00 $154.00 $2,145 —
1165–1715 1440 19 139.00–154.00 $150.89 $2,173 —
1225–1615 1489 12 157.00–165.00 $161.93 $2,411 -2.74
1558–1750 1616 22 162.50–173.00 $165.18 $2,669 —

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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.