Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 7, 2020

586 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle report →

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 586 592 470
Slaughter cattle 586 470

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers 2.00 higher, slaughter cows no comparison due to low receipts last week. Trade active. Demand good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
875–1214 1140 37 99.00–118.25 $110.50 $1,260
1050–1455 1279 13 98.00–103.50 $101.58 $1,299
1203–1695 1421 194 104.25–111.00 $108.07 $1,536
1830 1830 1 94.50 $94.50 $1,729

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
890–1010 959 5 82.00–98.00 $91.27 $875
1010–1335 1092 14 96.00–103.00 $101.07 $1,104
1110–1518 1333 214 104.00–110.00 $108.48 $1,446

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1080–1650 1310 80-85% 25 50.00–58.00 $54.58 $715
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
900–1440 1105 85-90% 13 20.00–37.00 $27.98 $309
935–1725 1326 85-90% 9 42.00–49.00 $46.09 $611
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1110–1685 1372 75-80% 10 59.25–66.00 $62.24 $854

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
995–1205 1068 3 50.00–54.00 $51.24 $547
1285–2065 1758 5 77.00–90.00 $83.96 $1,476

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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.