Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 3, 2021

683 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 683 620 317
Slaughter cattle 683 620 317

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers steady to 1.00 lower, slaughter cows Breaker and Boners 1.25-1.75 lower, Lean cows were .25 lower. 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
1010–1286 1176 52 100.00–108.00 $105.61 $1,242
1180–1530 1332 41 103.00–111.00 $108.83 $1,450
1205–1701 1473 150 112.00–115.75 $114.19 $1,682

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1028–1245 1130 17 101.00–106.85 $104.71 $1,183
1070–1500 1258 85 103.00–111.50 $110.74 $1,393 +2.72
1185–1555 1363 135 112.00–115.50 $113.99 $1,554 -1.20

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1725 1370 80-85% 52 50.00–59.00 $54.96 $753
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1780 1496 75-80% 20 60.00–69.00 $62.42 $934
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1020–1365 1180 85-90% 11 43.00–49.00 $46.26 $546 +14.59

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1480–2445 1960 18 79.00–92.00 $86.00 $1,686

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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.