Cattle Market Pulse

Russell Livestock Feeder Cattle Market Report

Russell, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Monday, January 4, 2021

4,679 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

light 7-weight M&L 1 steers $140.62/cwt +9.62 vs last sale · ≈ $1,021/hd at 726 lb · 614 head
light 8-weight M&L 1 steers $134.77/cwt ≈ $1,120/hd at 831 lb · 525 head
light 6-weight M&L 1 steers $147.64/cwt ≈ $933/hd at 632 lb · 362 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 4,679 676 4,723
Feeder cattle 4,679 676 4,723

Compared to two weeks ago steers under 700 lbs. were mostly 2.50-5.00 higher. There weren't enough heavier steers in the previous auction to compare. Heifers 400-500 lbs. were 3.00-5.00 lower while the 500-600 lb. heifers were 3.00-7.00 higher. As in the steers, there weren't enough heavier heifers two weeks ago to compare. Demand was good for the heavy offerings. Trading 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
391–397 394 18 181.00–185.00 $183.17 $722
405–416 412 25 186.50–196.50 $189.26 $780 +12.89
462–488 477 72 165.00–178.00 $174.07 $830
503–549 527 171 155.00–169.50 $164.96 $869 +6.14
531 unweaned 531 5 155.00 $155.00 $823
566 unweaned 566 10 154.50 $154.50 $874 -2.45
550–597 580 186 151.00–164.00 $157.97 $916 +2.87
606–649 632 362 139.00–152.25 $147.64 $933
651–693 669 313 138.50–152.00 $146.03 $977 +2.53
700–746 726 614 132.75–145.75 $140.62 $1,021 +9.62
751–799 778 316 131.00–144.35 $137.98 $1,073 +20.48
803–849 831 525 125.00–137.10 $134.77 $1,120
850–876 857 238 124.00–136.50 $132.56 $1,136
924 924 15 121.00–127.75 $125.50 $1,160
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
402–413 409 15 170.00–175.00 $171.97 $703 +7.97
453–493 478 21 160.00–160.75 $160.44 $767
512 512 6 149.00 $149.00 $763
558–581 567 13 136.00–145.00 $139.55 $791
621–624 622 21 133.00–134.50 $133.50 $830 -1.50
664–695 unweaned 672 11 120.00–129.50 $126.82 $852
657–696 683 49 125.00–137.00 $132.60 $906
700–729 717 12 127.00–131.00 $129.37 $928
774–781 778 49 129.50–130.00 $129.65 $1,009

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
375–379 377 9 140.00–156.00 $148.93 $561
416–422 420 13 143.50–146.00 $145.24 $610 -2.77
456–491 473 63 139.00–150.00 $143.14 $677 -4.77
483 unweaned 483 6 133.00 $133.00 $642 -23.94
508–549 526 109 131.00–143.00 $138.33 $728 +2.99
545 unweaned 545 10 130.00 $130.00 $708 -7.00
553–589 577 214 128.50–142.50 $134.02 $773 +7.36
600–648 629 209 127.00–138.00 $132.49 $833
653–698 672 122 122.00–133.00 $127.98 $860
705–745 718 116 119.00–130.25 $125.63 $902
760–771 762 94 132.25–136.50 $133.07 $1,014
976–979 977 12 107.00–114.50 $110.13 $1,076
1170 1170 16 103.75 $103.75 $1,214
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
388 388 4 137.50 $137.50 $534
446 446 5 141.00 $141.00 $629
479 479 9 134.50 $134.50 $644
502–546 527 41 117.00–129.00 $126.02 $664
578–592 582 12 116.00–127.00 $118.80 $691 -1.20
609–622 616 22 124.00 $124.00 $764 +1.00
647 unweaned 647 9 115.00 $115.00 $744
678 678 18 116.00 $116.00 $786
760–796 768 43 117.50–118.00 $117.93 $906

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350 350 2 187.50 $187.50 $656
431 431 4 156.00 $156.00 $672 +1.84
638 638 5 130.00 $130.00 $829 +7.27

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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.