Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 14, 2020

395 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 395 586 650
Slaughter cattle 395 586 650

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers .50-1.00 lower. slaughter cows no comparison due to low receipts. Trade active. Demand good.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1265 1163 12 97.00–103.00 $101.40 $1,179
1165–1400 1268 6 100.00–102.00 $101.14 $1,282 -0.44
1193–1650 1423 171 103.00–109.50 $107.40 $1,528 -0.67
1720–1810 1765 2 97.75–101.75 $99.70 $1,760

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
965–1185 1102 3 93.00–103.50 $97.93 $1,079
1093–1305 1198 13 98.50–102.50 $100.21 $1,201
1165–1539 1324 107 103.00–110.75 $107.50 $1,423 -0.98

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1260 1116 85-90% 9 25.00–41.00 $35.21 $393 +7.23
955–1520 1241 85-90% 8 42.00–49.00 $46.12 $572
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1635 1396 80-85% 17 52.00–59.00 $55.35 $773
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1720 1489 75-80% 7 60.00–66.00 $62.86 $936
1550 1550 75-80% 1 73.00 $73.00 $1,132

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150 1150 1 64.00 $64.00 $736
1705–2065 1861 4 84.00–85.75 $84.88 $1,580

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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.