Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, July 22, 2024

3,083 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 $273.25/cwt +16.52 vs last sale · ≈ $2,273/hd at 832 lb · 473 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $273.20/cwt -1.64 vs last sale · ≈ $2,087/hd at 764 lb · 203 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $268.57/cwt +3.31 vs last sale · ≈ $2,299/hd at 856 lb · 137 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,083 4,071 0
Feeder cattle 1,713 2,620 0
Slaughter cattle 1,370 1,451 0

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers 3.00 to 4.00 higher in a narrow comparison, feeder heifers not well compared. Very good demand for all weights of steers and heifers as the cash fed cattle market continues to hold it's ground, 10.00 premium to the futures contracts. Optimism amongst cattle feeders is very high as the cash fed cattle as moved counter seasonally higher. This is the time of the year where fed cattle supplies are the most plentiful, yet packers can't get leverage over the feeders. There is great hope amongst cattle producers that these record high prices will continue.

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
533 533 6 347.00 $347.00 $1,850 +10.45
567 567 4 307.00 $307.00 $1,741 -6.70
605–627 618 19 287.00–296.00 $291.69 $1,803 -31.72
661–696 671 34 285.50–308.00 $301.14 $2,021 +15.52
700–736 704 47 275.00–294.00 $284.36 $2,002 +8.78
750–796 764 203 265.00–284.00 $273.20 $2,087 -1.64
806–846 832 473 261.00–278.00 $273.25 $2,273 +16.52
850–868 856 137 259.00–274.00 $268.57 $2,299 +3.31
900–933 925 48 248.00–255.50 $253.83 $2,348 —
959–972 965 9 249.00–255.00 $251.69 $2,429 +24.17
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
910–1145 1040 13 152.00–193.00 $177.23 $1,843 —
1056–1245 1144 26 190.00–208.00 $197.25 $2,257 +12.05
1030–1543 1307 126 180.00–193.50 $189.41 $2,476 -1.18
1105–1476 1350 106 189.00–196.25 $194.65 $2,628 -0.01
1165–1660 1407 296 193.00–200.00 $195.25 $2,747 —
1630 1630 3 193.75 $193.75 $3,158 -5.10
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
464 464 5 288.00 $288.00 $1,336 -27.13
532 532 12 279.00 $279.00 $1,484 -10.72
555 555 15 275.00 $275.00 $1,526 -25.36
690 690 9 277.00 $277.00 $1,911 +9.00

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
429 429 5 290.00 $290.00 $1,244 -35.81
554–559 557 18 278.00–282.50 $280.86 $1,564 +12.61
633 633 18 276.00 $276.00 $1,747 -14.24
660–693 678 78 260.50–276.00 $268.74 $1,822 -5.37
702–747 741 110 258.50–265.00 $261.88 $1,941 +13.55
754–782 763 96 253.00–263.00 $260.08 $1,984 +14.13
831 831 3 242.00 $242.00 $2,011 +13.00
856–873 871 60 231.00–237.50 $236.10 $2,056 +11.10
915 915 5 226.00 $226.00 $2,068 -2.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
935–1185 1050 10 150.00–194.00 $177.16 $1,860 —
1010–1520 1224 84 181.00–193.50 $190.21 $2,328 +3.63
1148–1525 1287 244 189.50–199.75 $195.14 $2,511 -2.77
1490–1507 1501 8 179.50–184.50 $182.64 $2,741 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1004 1004 38 221.00 $221.00 $2,219 +36.00
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
624 624 5 255.00 $255.00 $1,591 -23.00
749 749 5 237.00 $237.00 $1,775 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–955 949 75-80% 4 152.00–175.00 $165.52 $1,571 —
1070–1405 1233 75-80% 18 141.00–167.00 $150.90 $1,861 —
1205–1840 1454 75-80% 26 135.00–144.00 $138.62 $2,016 -12.45
1520–1525 1523 75-80% 2 134.00 $134.00 $2,041 —
1205–1940 1528 75-80% 62 142.00–170.00 $147.63 $2,256 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–970 965 80-85% 2 137.00–141.00 $138.99 $1,341 —
1020–1210 1116 80-85% 14 129.00–150.00 $140.39 $1,567 +0.04
1015–1550 1318 80-85% 31 125.00–134.00 $129.81 $1,711 +9.81
1240–1460 1350 80-85% 2 120.00–122.00 $121.08 $1,635 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
775–995 904 85-90% 8 107.00–128.00 $120.29 $1,087 —
1035–1295 1160 85-90% 12 107.00–121.00 $114.87 $1,332 +3.45

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
930–1310 1120 2 105.00–118.00 $112.60 $1,261 —
1180–1265 1230 3 130.00–180.00 $155.44 $1,912 —
1325–2200 1562 22 136.00–173.00 $163.85 $2,559 —
1445–2275 1774 13 175.00–195.00 $182.36 $3,235 -5.63

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Beef Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1440–1760 1637 15 192.00–194.00 $192.93 $3,158 +1.07

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1205–1375 1278 3 129.00–142.00 $137.56 $1,758 —
1261–1556 1436 24 170.50–179.00 $175.13 $2,515 —
1410–1509 1471 4 165.00–169.00 $167.75 $2,468 —

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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.