Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, May 25, 2022

409 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 409 180 400
Slaughter cattle 409 180 400

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers 1.50-2.50 lower, slaughter cows Breakers and Boners were steady to 1.00 higher, Lean cows were 2.00 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
1070–1380 1203 3 110.00–129.00 $120.88 $1,454
1200–1558 1366 57 135.00–144.50 $141.87 $1,938
1260–1549 1436 74 145.00–152.00 $148.42 $2,131 -1.45

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
950–1145 1004 8 115.00–128.00 $123.92 $1,244
1085–1455 1249 78 136.00–144.50 $142.63 $1,781
1212–1464 1331 23 145.50–149.00 $147.13 $1,958 -2.68

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1275–1580 1432 75-80% 9 88.00–90.00 $88.86 $1,272 -0.14
1105–1920 1437 75-80% 53 79.75–88.00 $84.10 $1,209 -4.90
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1010–1690 1304 80-85% 24 71.00–79.00 $75.93 $990
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
840–1350 1033 85-90% 11 30.00–52.00 $42.19 $436
965–1370 1132 85-90% 5 60.00–66.00 $63.57 $720

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1440–2405 1878 14 83.00–110.00 $102.41 $1,923
2275–2295 2285 2 115.00–117.00 $116.00 $2,651

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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.