Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, November 24, 2021

475 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 475 902 561
Slaughter cattle 475 902 561

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers 3.50 higher, Choice heifers 5.50 higher, slaughter cows Breakers steady, Boner and Lean cows .50-.75 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
1073–1165 1132 7 122.00–125.00 $122.81 $1,390
1230–1495 1288 26 126.00–131.00 $129.36 $1,666
1270–1560 1399 116 133.00–143.00 $138.01 $1,931
1572–1740 1620 7 131.00–134.00 $131.46 $2,130

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1025–1197 1101 10 111.00–118.00 $113.90 $1,254 -6.47
1110–1580 1292 19 124.00–131.00 $129.10 $1,668
1179–1553 1316 169 133.00–144.50 $140.29 $1,846 +13.75

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Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
700–1465 1164 85-90% 21 21.00–38.00 $28.07 $327 -1.53
1050–1430 1239 85-90% 16 42.00–51.00 $46.55 $577
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1200–1575 1396 80-85% 11 41.00–51.00 $47.48 $663 -9.56
1250–1575 1409 80-85% 11 52.00–63.00 $56.52 $796
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1545–1610 1575 75-80% 3 67.00–72.00 $69.68 $1,097

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1915 1481 4 59.00–62.00 $60.70 $899
1380–2340 1807 11 70.00–90.00 $79.64 $1,439

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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.