Cattle Market Pulse

Iowa Weekly Cattle Auction Summary

Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, August 24, 2026

7,545 head sold ·Official USDA report

heavy 9-weight M&L 1 steers $293.61/cwt -1.39 vs last sale · ≈ $2,816/hd at 959 lb · 969 head
heavy 8-weight M&L 1 steers $316.75/cwt +1.75 vs last sale · ≈ $2,756/hd at 870 lb · 779 head
light 9-weight M&L 1 steers $303.21/cwt ≈ $2,774/hd at 915 lb · 614 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 7,545 2,176 10,312
Feeder cattle 6,405 939 10,147
Slaughter cattle 1,140 1,237 165

Market comments — USDA reporter

For the week. not enough feeders last week for a market comparison. Slaughter steers and heifers sold 5.00 to 6.00 lower. Slaughter cows sold 5.00 to 10.00 lower and bulls sold 10.00 lower. Demand was moderate instance good on feeder cattle. Moderate demand for slaughter cattle.

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
472 unweaned 472 6 456.00 $456.00 $2,152 —
488 488 3 430.00 $430.00 $2,098 +5.00
547–548 548 8 372.00–395.00 $383.49 $2,102 -53.04
568–592 584 31 363.00–405.00 $390.62 $2,281 +5.62
611–648 627 88 349.00–406.00 $365.82 $2,294 -24.18
653–696 676 103 345.00–380.00 $365.11 $2,468 -7.35
703–748 731 391 320.00–363.50 $350.45 $2,562 —
755–785 765 347 324.00–349.75 $339.36 $2,596 —
802–842 821 441 323.00–340.25 $334.09 $2,743 —
852–898 870 779 296.50–328.00 $316.75 $2,756 +1.75
901–935 915 614 294.50–311.00 $303.21 $2,774 —
951–993 959 969 280.00–296.75 $293.61 $2,816 -1.39
1008–1040 1024 132 277.50–294.35 $285.65 $2,925 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
960–1295 1102 16 202.00–250.00 $219.92 $2,424 -5.53
1200–1205 1203 3 201.00–227.00 $218.36 $2,627 -5.82
1160–1352 1270 40 213.00–229.00 $218.63 $2,777 —
1200–1405 1368 12 218.00–228.00 $225.36 $3,083 -1.66
1272–1625 1379 43 220.00–230.50 $224.91 $3,102 -2.11
1160–1565 1381 66 209.00–219.50 $215.29 $2,973 -11.73
1490 1490 1 216.50 $216.50 $3,226 -4.50
1245–1661 1496 260 218.00–226.50 $220.94 $3,305 -0.06
1570 1570 1 216.00 $216.00 $3,391 -14.42
1622 1622 2 230.00 $230.00 $3,731 —
1720–1825 1773 2 213.00–216.00 $214.46 $3,802 —
1761–1800 1774 8 217.00–221.50 $219.84 $3,900 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
520–533 528 8 371.00–406.00 $393.08 $2,075 —
587 587 4 402.00 $402.00 $2,360 —
636–641 638 18 335.00–351.00 $342.14 $2,183 -5.34
660–699 680 27 301.00–340.00 $326.85 $2,223 —
725 725 14 318.00 $318.00 $2,306 —
801–848 834 64 307.50–314.00 $308.68 $2,574 —
985 985 4 250.00 $250.00 $2,462 —
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1063 1063 57 278.25 $278.25 $2,958 —
1135 1135 70 264.75 $264.75 $3,005 —
1165 1165 9 256.00 $256.00 $2,982 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
514–548 530 22 351.00–379.00 $364.43 $1,931 +14.43
566–599 589 69 334.00–361.00 $350.15 $2,062 +0.15
613–649 628 91 330.00–369.00 $350.99 $2,204 —
657–685 667 170 312.00–369.00 $341.49 $2,278 —
715–732 fancy 723 69 356.00–394.00 $376.15 $2,720 —
700–744 729 280 307.00–334.00 $321.28 $2,342 —
754 fancy 754 66 380.00 $380.00 $2,865 —
750–795 761 421 284.50–322.50 $314.71 $2,395 —
806–844 830 264 278.50–316.25 $302.91 $2,514 —
853–896 871 135 267.00–296.00 $288.26 $2,511 +13.26
902–940 906 56 275.00–299.25 $290.53 $2,632 —
955–983 963 40 259.50–280.50 $273.57 $2,634 —
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1018 1018 3 226.00 $226.00 $2,301 —
875–1198 1086 43 205.00–237.00 $221.62 $2,407 —
1100–1176 1150 20 219.50–224.00 $222.01 $2,553 —
1160 1160 1 216.00 $216.00 $2,506 —
1095–1480 1251 56 210.00–219.00 $215.56 $2,697 —
1267–1355 1296 18 224.00–228.00 $226.45 $2,935 +1.36
1203–1610 1332 141 217.00–226.00 $219.59 $2,925 -5.66
1340–1395 1368 2 206.00–215.00 $210.59 $2,881 —
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
511–533 524 7 330.00 $330.00 $1,729 +25.73
607 607 9 320.00 $320.00 $1,942 —
651–694 679 24 280.00–338.75 $322.35 $2,189 —
730–740 734 27 301.00–307.00 $304.76 $2,237 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
426 426 3 1,850.00 $1,850.00 -100.00
450 unweaned 450 7 1,900.00 $1,900.00 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1000–1385 1126 80-85% 22 155.00–207.00 $169.67 $1,910 —
1065–1615 1281 80-85% 67 151.00–164.00 $158.32 $2,028 —
1285–1645 1461 80-85% 7 135.00–153.00 $145.09 $2,120 —
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
850–995 943 85-90% 8 123.00–133.00 $128.18 $1,209 —
1025–1060 1047 85-90% 3 112.00–114.00 $113.33 $1,187 —
1015–1615 1178 85-90% 39 120.00–151.00 $138.51 $1,632 -5.07
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1370 1271 75-80% 8 171.00–207.00 $181.56 $2,308 —
1400–1635 1488 75-80% 3 150.00–156.00 $152.84 $2,274 —
1200–1900 1505 75-80% 27 159.00–173.00 $166.45 $2,505 -23.53

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1235 1180 3 175.00–185.00 $181.13 $2,137 —
1190–2195 1712 26 170.00–225.00 $205.07 $3,511 —
1445–2100 1773 2 150.00–158.00 $154.74 $2,744 -9.40
1815 1815 1 234.00 $234.00 $4,247 +18.99

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Beef Dairy Heifers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1243–1426 1310 9 210.00–212.00 $211.60 $2,772 —
1380–1631 1520 15 214.00–221.00 $218.86 $3,327 —

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Beef Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1270–1542 1435 4 195.00–209.00 $204.85 $2,940 -20.09
1318–1687 1579 17 215.00–221.50 $219.42 $3,465 —

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Dairy Steers

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1352 1352 2 183.00 $183.00 $2,474 —
1310–1590 1492 11 195.00–207.50 $204.64 $3,053 —
1355–1710 1561 12 209.50–214.50 $212.10 $3,311 +0.33

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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.