Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, July 20, 2026

1,490 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 1,490 2,786 1,591
Feeder cattle — 2,383 —
Slaughter cattle 1,490 403 1,591

Compared to last week no test on feeder cattle. Slaughter steers and heifers sold 3.00 to 6.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold steady to 2.00 higher and bulls sold 7.00 lower. Demand was moderate.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1230 1119 12 224.00–270.00 $239.05 $2,675 +1.42
1170–1290 1224 16 230.00–250.00 $236.86 $2,899 —
1315–1320 1318 3 238.00–243.00 $239.66 $3,159 +10.66
1165–1474 1360 123 229.00–237.00 $233.20 $3,172 -10.80
1233–1668 1461 199 237.00–244.00 $240.44 $3,513 -2.29
1268–1730 1482 126 235.00–241.50 $238.87 $3,540 -4.40
1529–1554 1551 29 233.00–234.00 $233.86 $3,627 —
1579–1592 1585 13 236.00–243.25 $239.89 $3,802 —
1605–1660 1636 5 237.50–242.00 $238.79 $3,907 -4.39
1641 1641 8 232.00 $232.00 $3,807 -11.18
1715–1741 1725 10 243.75–244.00 $243.85 $4,206 —
1798 1798 2 231.00 $231.00 $4,153 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
990–1160 1104 11 220.00–240.00 $230.82 $2,548 -8.21
1126–1265 1161 4 236.00–238.00 $237.46 $2,757 —
1055–1457 1246 44 225.00–237.00 $234.11 $2,917 —
1141–1533 1293 95 230.00–236.00 $231.53 $2,994 —
1264–1353 1309 10 232.00–234.50 $233.29 $3,054 —
1195–1615 1336 132 234.00–244.00 $238.98 $3,193 —
1600 1600 1 236.50 $236.50 $3,784 —
1638–1808 1723 4 228.00 $228.00 $3,928 —

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1540 1367 75-80% 34 178.00–225.00 $194.05 $2,653 —
1220–1805 1528 75-80% 47 175.00–191.00 $183.14 $2,798 —
1400–1900 1608 75-80% 45 190.00–211.00 $198.07 $3,185 +20.28
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
855–985 938 80-85% 6 173.00–270.00 $201.93 $1,894 —
1000–1325 1158 80-85% 29 166.00–267.50 $188.77 $2,186 —
1105–1680 1306 80-85% 41 160.00–179.00 $168.62 $2,202 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
775–1095 942 85-90% 7 125.00–154.00 $144.21 $1,358 —
1015–1530 1181 85-90% 11 131.00–157.00 $144.61 $1,708 +2.61

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1043 1043 2 262.50 $262.50 $2,738 —
1020–1695 1395 4 120.00–175.00 $160.70 $2,242 —
1270–1940 1660 29 180.00–237.00 $223.85 $3,716 —
1540–2155 1924 9 238.00–248.00 $241.99 $4,656 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1116–1142 1130 9 222.00–229.75 $226.35 $2,558 —
1275–1325 1302 25 229.00–232.25 $231.93 $3,020 —
1655 1655 1 223.00 $223.00 $3,691 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1183–1215 1186 10 225.50–226.00 $225.55 $2,675 —
1301–1905 1494 82 230.00–240.00 $232.98 $3,481 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1380 1380 4 226.00 $226.00 $3,119 —

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1284 1284 7 223.00 $223.00 $2,863 —
1410–1610 1571 9 217.00–228.00 $221.82 $3,485 —
1330–1975 1618 59 228.00–236.00 $230.93 $3,736 —

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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.