Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 27, 2021

830 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 830 253 693
Slaughter cattle 830 253 693

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers .50-.75 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 $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1241 1142 10 110.00–118.00 $115.99 $1,325
1060–1445 1272 15 118.00–124.00 $121.02 $1,539
1301–1670 1476 349 125.00–134.75 $130.29 $1,923 +7.81

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1023–1057 1043 5 114.00–114.50 $114.20 $1,191 +10.53
1045–1400 1229 30 120.00–124.50 $121.90 $1,498 +1.11
1140–1525 1375 214 125.00–134.50 $130.68 $1,797

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1155–1770 1347 80-85% 41 56.00–68.00 $63.07 $850
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
810–1385 1150 85-90% 20 21.00–47.00 $36.64 $421 -14.37
995–1530 1268 85-90% 17 47.00–55.00 $51.76 $656
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1780 1465 75-80% 25 70.00–78.00 $73.21 $1,073
1585 1585 75-80% 1 81.00 $81.00 $1,284

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1065–1830 1448 2 54.00–65.00 $60.95 $883
1610–2415 1928 8 71.00–87.00 $76.68 $1,478

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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.