Cattle Market Pulse

Russell Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Russell, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, December 21, 2020

676 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Russell Livestock Feeder Cattle report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $153.63/cwt +10.43 vs last sale · ≈ $712/hd at 463 lb · 90 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $174.01/cwt +12.07 vs last sale · ≈ $832/hd at 478 lb · 66 head
heavy 5-weight M&L 1 steers $156.37/cwt +5.58 vs last sale · ≈ $907/hd at 580 lb · 64 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 676 1,010 0
Feeder cattle 676 1,010 0

Compared to last week the larger groups of steers under 500 lbs. sold as much as 10.00 higher. The heavier steers ended mixed with not enough numbers both weeks to compare. Heifers under 500 lbs. were 5.00 higher with instances 10.00 higher. The 500-600 lb. heifers were 1.00-5.00 lower and those weighing over 600 lbs. did not have enough to compare. Supply consisted mostly of smaller groups. Demand was moderate to good for the light offerings. Trade was active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 7 185.00 $185.00 $648
396 unweaned 396 4 171.00 $171.00 $677
419–435 424 12 175.00–179.00 $176.37 $748 -6.10
465–487 unweaned 478 66 172.00–175.25 $174.01 $832 +13.02
525–546 541 18 158.50–160.00 $158.82 $859 -14.07
551–574 564 20 149.00–162.00 $155.10 $875 +4.31
583–595 unweaned 587 44 153.50–161.00 $156.95 $921
669 669 12 143.50 $143.50 $960 +4.26
696 unweaned 696 4 130.00 $130.00 $905
704 704 7 131.00 $131.00 $922 -2.07
766 766 5 117.50 $117.50 $900
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430–443 437 6 164.00 $164.00 $717
645 645 5 135.00 $135.00 $871

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
269 269 4 167.50 $167.50 $451
341 341 4 158.00 $158.00 $539
360 unweaned 360 4 153.00 $153.00 $551 -4.00
414 unweaned 414 6 148.00 $148.00 $613 +4.41
408–439 426 24 145.00–150.00 $148.01 $631
458–477 unweaned 462 57 147.00–160.00 $156.94 $725
450–475 466 33 145.00–149.00 $147.91 $689 +4.71
500–541 517 39 134.00–137.50 $135.34 $700 -1.51
549 unweaned 549 11 137.00 $137.00 $752 -3.09
554–567 unweaned 564 28 131.00 $131.00 $739 +6.00
560–593 580 19 125.00–132.00 $126.66 $735 -5.04
627 unweaned 627 12 126.00 $126.00 $790 -5.50
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
474–481 unweaned 478 11 140.00–145.00 $141.80 $678
594 594 7 120.00 $120.00 $713
605 605 4 123.00 $123.00 $744
674 unweaned 674 4 117.00 $117.00 $789

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
409–448 431 9 153.00–155.00 $154.16 $664 +4.16
459 unweaned 459 5 148.00 $148.00 $679
539 539 7 139.00 $139.00 $749
578 578 3 126.00 $126.00 $728
603–617 611 5 118.00–130.00 $122.73 $750 -6.27
673 673 3 119.00 $119.00 $801

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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.