Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 4, 2022

385 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 385 266 168
Slaughter cattle 385 266 168

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers steady -.25 higher, slaughter cows Breakers steady, Boner and Leans 1.00-3.00 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
1105 1105 1 125.00 $125.00 $1,381
1135–1470 1327 23 130.00–145.00 $140.46 $1,864
1213–1623 1423 120 146.00–155.00 $150.47 $2,141 -0.73

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1118–1560 1319 29 133.25–144.50 $140.09 $1,848 -11.34
1138–1541 1333 58 147.00–156.00 $151.61 $2,021 +0.18

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1730 1543 75-80% 7 87.00–94.00 $88.43 $1,364 -0.32
1235–2010 1544 75-80% 37 80.00–86.50 $83.02 $1,282 -5.73
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
905–1785 1380 80-85% 27 72.00–79.50 $75.34 $1,040 -0.81
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
885–1300 1107 85-90% 3 50.00–53.00 $51.17 $566 -14.67
930–1485 1137 85-90% 14 55.00–68.00 $61.65 $701 +17.11

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1038–1415 1164 3 66.00–79.00 $71.27 $830
1315–2545 1805 11 92.00–109.00 $102.88 $1,857
1930–2205 2068 2 111.00–113.00 $111.93 $2,315

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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.