Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, March 3, 2025

5,664 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $271.56/cwt -3.45 vs last sale · ≈ $2,368/hd at 872 lb · 750 head
heavy 7-weight M&L 1 steers $281.44/cwt -9.57 vs last sale · ≈ $2,171/hd at 772 lb · 489 head
light 7-weight M&L 1 heifers $264.49/cwt -16.94 vs last sale · ≈ $1,934/hd at 731 lb · 334 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Head itemized in priced lots 5,664 — —

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
320 320 8 417.50 $417.50 $1,336 -48.62
365–399 389 23 407.50–435.00 $425.72 $1,656 -12.73
413 fancy 413 8 430.00 $430.00 $1,776 —
405–435 427 7 372.50–420.00 $406.99 $1,738 +14.66
471–497 480 59 300.00–381.00 $367.82 $1,766 -21.28
503–543 527 129 335.00–392.00 $372.69 $1,964 +4.26
550–591 571 113 330.00–366.00 $345.92 $1,975 -3.32
600–648 628 264 295.00–345.00 $323.42 $2,031 -14.14
650–695 670 176 262.00–336.00 $312.14 $2,091 -7.33
704–745 727 304 275.00–307.50 $294.77 $2,143 -3.93
752–792 771 472 268.00–293.00 $281.91 $2,174 -9.51
787 787 17 268.50 $268.50 $2,113 -22.92
800–837 817 330 244.00–284.25 $276.17 $2,256 -5.62
852–898 872 750 235.00–282.25 $271.56 $2,368 -4.21
904–933 912 192 222.50–268.25 $262.65 $2,395 +0.99
950–987 962 238 215.00–260.00 $252.18 $2,426 +3.24
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1165 1108 2 185.00–200.00 $192.11 $2,129 —
1213–1600 1358 36 193.00–205.00 $200.41 $2,722 —
1215–1680 1511 91 202.50–214.00 $209.66 $3,168 -1.51
1472–1680 1590 31 215.00–220.25 $218.00 $3,466 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1026–1033 1032 133 220.00–248.00 $244.86 $2,527 +3.25
1126 1126 26 218.00 $218.00 $2,455 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 10 305.00–360.00 $343.50 $1,494 -19.50
538–543 540 21 340.00–351.00 $346.26 $1,870 +21.01
573–578 574 22 310.00–326.00 $312.93 $1,796 +5.11
603–644 627 55 215.00–306.00 $297.21 $1,864 +4.16
665–675 668 8 257.50–288.00 $275.07 $1,837 -22.95
755–768 765 5 240.00–255.00 $248.03 $1,897 —
827 827 6 255.00 $255.00 $2,109 +3.00
863 863 5 249.00 $249.00 $2,149 —
996 996 9 232.00 $232.00 $2,311 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325–335 330 11 390.00–400.00 $394.12 $1,301 -5.88
392 392 4 361.00 $361.00 $1,415 -24.86
408–448 436 43 325.00–355.00 $341.85 $1,490 -36.83
463–499 481 27 309.00–330.00 $319.29 $1,536 -27.90
501–537 522 116 295.00–333.00 $322.60 $1,684 -5.61
555–598 576 138 280.00–308.00 $297.46 $1,713 -17.18
600–646 623 103 268.00–299.00 $282.49 $1,760 -13.87
659–698 673 210 247.00–288.00 $269.91 $1,816 -10.87
704–748 731 303 250.00–273.50 $263.28 $1,925 -12.71
730–748 735 31 271.50–278.00 $276.29 $2,031 +0.30
750–786 761 224 247.00–275.50 $260.21 $1,980 -29.69
782 fancy 782 46 280.00 $280.00 $2,190 ±0.00
803–843 827 218 236.00–257.00 $244.56 $2,023 -10.17
836 836 19 266.00 $266.00 $2,224 +11.27
851 851 4 236.00 $236.00 $2,008 -7.61
850–889 871 52 226.00–241.00 $235.42 $2,051 -8.19
890 890 64 248.25 $248.25 $2,209 +4.64
916–927 924 10 227.50–238.00 $230.62 $2,131 +10.62
965 965 3 210.00 $210.00 $2,026 -15.00
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950–1105 1047 10 160.00–200.00 $189.14 $1,980 —
1145–1530 1333 16 191.00–206.50 $200.15 $2,668 —
1230–1556 1369 18 216.00–217.75 $216.60 $2,965 +4.96
1207–1630 1374 98 201.00–214.50 $209.39 $2,877 -2.25
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
415–445 430 5 270.00–300.00 $282.21 $1,214 -71.98
452–488 473 17 287.50–307.00 $297.49 $1,407 -11.35
503–544 516 21 252.50–307.50 $293.01 $1,512 -17.57
577–595 585 19 265.00–281.00 $273.86 $1,602 -11.08
618–640 620 29 245.00–280.75 $273.53 $1,696 +4.02
650–693 679 30 235.00–258.00 $255.50 $1,735 -9.33
706 706 3 242.00 $242.00 $1,709 —
783–791 787 16 228.00–249.00 $237.02 $1,865 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
443 443 5 381.00 $381.00 $1,688 —
580 580 3 273.00 $273.00 $1,583 —
738 738 4 240.00 $240.00 $1,771 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1545 1390 75-80% 20 131.00–162.00 $146.87 $2,041 —
1255–1755 1494 75-80% 26 130.00–152.50 $138.09 $2,063 —
1230–1975 1512 75-80% 21 144.00–173.00 $154.22 $2,332 +29.19
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
680–995 893 80-85% 14 115.00–177.50 $152.97 $1,366 —
1000–1255 1107 80-85% 28 115.00–185.00 $139.69 $1,546 -15.01
1000–1805 1338 80-85% 24 113.00–130.00 $124.21 $1,662 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
750–995 852 85-90% 11 95.00–117.00 $106.44 $907 -8.01
600–1630 978 85-90% 4 70.00–98.00 $83.40 $816 —
930–1310 1091 85-90% 8 100.00–118.00 $109.98 $1,200 —

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–2135 1695 13 135.00–179.00 $160.30 $2,717 -2.38
1430–2145 1778 3 177.00–183.00 $178.94 $3,182 —

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Beef/Dairy Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1370–1618 1453 6 194.50–196.00 $195.06 $2,834 —

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Beef/Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1410–1728 1600 8 201.00–207.00 $203.10 $3,250 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1285–1650 1468 2 167.00–170.00 $168.31 $2,471 +11.31
1535–1750 1636 6 176.00–183.00 $178.23 $2,916 —

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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.