Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, March 10, 2021

494 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 494 683 307
Slaughter cattle 494 683 307

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers .25-.75 lower, slaughter cows breaker and boners .50-1.00 higher, lean cows were 1.25 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
1107–1183 1140 12 100.00–107.00 $103.02 $1,174
1140–1595 1306 28 102.00–109.75 $106.83 $1,395 -2.00
1210–1575 1408 120 110.00–116.25 $113.45 $1,597

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
880–1165 1050 4 90.00–103.75 $98.10 $1,030
1075–1405 1228 11 102.00–109.50 $106.78 $1,311
1170–1615 1327 99 110.00–116.75 $113.73 $1,509

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1075–1890 1424 80-85% 49 52.00–59.00 $55.90 $796
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
955–1370 1149 85-90% 12 23.00–37.00 $31.28 $359
875–1510 1236 85-90% 26 40.00–49.00 $44.79 $554
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1170–2045 1532 75-80% 26 60.00–68.00 $62.91 $964

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YG1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1750 1425 2 41.00–65.00 $55.74 $794
1290–2480 1945 19 73.00–90.00 $81.89 $1,593

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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.