Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, July 27, 2026

3,146 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 $362.06/cwt ≈ $2,987/hd at 825 lb · 308 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $354.37/cwt ≈ $3,072/hd at 867 lb · 302 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $357.01/cwt ≈ $3,263/hd at 914 lb · 271 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 3,146 1,490 6,423
Feeder cattle 2,082 — 6,065
Slaughter cattle 1,064 1,490 358

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: There were no feeder cattle from the last report to trend. Average dressing slaughter cows sold unevenly steady; bulls 1.00 lower. In the slaughter cattle supply, average dressing slaughter steers sold 7.00 to 11.00 lower, average dressing slaughter dairy steers sold 1.00 to 2.00 lower, and average dressing slaughter heifers sold 7.00 to 9.00 lower. Trade was active on moderate to very good demand.

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
391 391 4 520.00 $520.00 $2,033 —
450–487 471 16 445.00–468.00 $451.95 $2,129 —
505–522 517 11 450.00 $450.00 $2,326 —
575–596 583 24 411.00–419.00 $417.05 $2,431 —
600–640 630 25 395.00–415.00 $406.31 $2,560 —
713–733 727 34 349.00–385.50 $374.59 $2,723 —
750–799 773 84 341.00–370.00 $360.90 $2,790 —
823–840 825 308 341.00–364.00 $362.06 $2,987 —
859–875 867 302 330.50–371.50 $354.37 $3,072 —
908–939 914 271 316.00–360.50 $357.01 $3,263 —
973–992 990 35 305.00–312.50 $311.87 $3,088 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915 915 6 260.00 $260.00 $2,379 —
865–1210 1084 15 200.00–255.00 $219.48 $2,379 —
1080–1195 1122 3 204.00–216.00 $210.73 $2,364 -28.32
1178–1285 1242 12 223.00–231.00 $228.84 $2,842 -8.02
1145–1480 1297 57 220.00–229.00 $226.16 $2,933 —
1140–1605 1391 68 223.00–229.00 $227.12 $3,159 -6.08
1250–1690 1432 310 228.00–239.50 $233.77 $3,348 —
1627 1627 2 227.50 $227.50 $3,701 -11.29
1695 1695 1 224.00 $224.00 $3,797 —
1700–1840 1741 9 228.00–238.00 $235.29 $4,096 -8.56
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
552–591 574 7 375.00–379.00 $376.65 $2,162 —
643 643 13 370.00 $370.00 $2,379 —
710 710 4 324.00 $324.00 $2,300 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1027 1027 10 304.00 $304.00 $3,122 —
1143 1143 8 267.00 $267.00 $3,052 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
383 383 4 1,825.00 $1,825.00 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
482–493 490 13 423.00–440.00 $428.15 $2,098 —
513–527 523 15 415.00–422.50 $416.96 $2,181 —
551–598 577 26 368.00–402.50 $377.79 $2,180 —
605–636 615 14 343.00–353.00 $348.88 $2,146 —
688–689 689 29 337.00–352.50 $350.36 $2,414 —
718–740 736 98 335.00–350.00 $346.81 $2,553 —
769–795 774 51 324.00–343.00 $333.26 $2,579 —
805–811 810 74 322.00–331.50 $330.61 $2,678 —
881–888 885 109 295.00–316.50 $311.80 $2,759 —
909–923 916 133 310.00–316.50 $313.20 $2,869 —
951 951 7 297.00 $297.00 $2,824 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–942 933 3 237.00–242.00 $240.37 $2,243 —
855–1175 1075 22 200.00–230.00 $222.14 $2,388 —
1065–1085 1075 2 223.50–225.00 $224.24 $2,411 —
1129–1199 1162 19 222.00–227.50 $225.73 $2,623 -11.73
1173–1320 1210 4 219.00–220.00 $219.73 $2,659 —
1125–1405 1234 35 220.00–229.00 $225.53 $2,783 -8.58
1115–1615 1304 166 224.00–238.00 $231.48 $3,018 -1.81
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
533 533 4 388.00 $388.00 $2,068 —
782 782 19 313.00 $313.00 $2,448 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
413 413 3 2,000.00 $2,000.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1475 1370 75-80% 15 180.00–214.00 $193.26 $2,648 -0.79
1230–1760 1472 75-80% 32 177.00–191.00 $184.43 $2,715 —
1370–1830 1567 75-80% 19 191.00–213.00 $199.91 $3,133 —
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
870–995 933 80-85% 2 180.00–181.00 $180.47 $1,684 -21.46
1000–1285 1161 80-85% 19 175.00–259.00 $195.71 $2,272 +6.94
1030–1575 1251 80-85% 34 154.00–179.00 $168.43 $2,107 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
800–985 893 85-90% 8 125.00–164.00 $142.38 $1,271 —
1000–1410 1161 85-90% 15 130.00–156.00 $142.94 $1,660 -1.67

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1295 1137 5 182.50–225.00 $207.47 $2,359 —
1265–2185 1646 23 197.00–235.00 $222.83 $3,668 —
1405–1910 1688 5 237.00–275.00 $248.02 $4,187 +24.17

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085 1085 2 195.00 $195.00 $2,116 —
1365–1652 1520 6 217.50–223.50 $219.57 $3,337 —
1485–1830 1638 17 226.00–233.00 $229.53 $3,760 -1.40

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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.