Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, October 19, 2022

530 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 530 496 253
Slaughter cattle 530 496 253

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers 2.25-4.25 lower, slaughter cows Breakers and Boners 1.50-2.25 lower, Lean cows were mostly steady.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
1000–1324 1228 18 121.00–143.00 $137.55 $1,689
1210–1538 1358 40 139.00–145.00 $142.12 $1,930 -1.41
1313–1720 1502 106 146.00–153.00 $149.29 $2,242

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
835–1245 1064 16 125.00–137.50 $134.80 $1,434
1108–1533 1305 42 138.50–145.00 $143.06 $1,867 -9.61
1200–1528 1378 168 146.00–155.75 $150.46 $2,073

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
995–1565 1318 80-85% 29 72.00–83.00 $77.36 $1,020
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1905 1463 75-80% 20 84.00–91.00 $86.37 $1,264
1300–1905 1619 75-80% 7 92.50–101.00 $94.99 $1,538 -1.83
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
760–1475 1064 85-90% 8 30.00–55.00 $46.99 $500
940–1470 1173 85-90% 17 60.00–71.00 $66.60 $781
N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1470 1470 65-75% 1 130.00 $130.00 $1,911

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1570–2235 1905 5 89.00–100.00 $94.23 $1,795

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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.