Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, December 17, 2025

594 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Head itemized in priced lots 594

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
941–1280 1048 28 207.50–222.00 $218.58 $2,291
1230–1340 1285 2 215.00–217.50 $216.30 $2,779 +0.87
1256–1630 1408 15 210.00–226.50 $223.42 $3,146
1195–1683 1484 194 226.00–233.50 $231.25 $3,432
1804–1895 1823 13 195.00–210.00 $208.19 $3,795

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1254 1073 13 203.00–221.00 $215.37 $2,311 +4.37
1264 1264 4 224.50 $224.50 $2,838
1095–1535 1320 16 215.00–227.50 $222.44 $2,936 +1.41
1175–1659 1411 171 227.00–234.00 $231.99 $3,273

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Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985 985 80-85% 1 180.00 $180.00 $1,773
1090–1345 1188 80-85% 14 147.00–197.50 $166.09 $1,973 -13.57
1035–1595 1309 80-85% 7 115.00–135.00 $129.95 $1,701
1130–1530 1335 80-85% 9 143.00–152.00 $146.53 $1,956
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–1270 1062 85-90% 12 70.00–105.00 $88.49 $940
1050–1285 1197 85-90% 5 110.00–136.00 $129.00 $1,544 -0.72
1065–1305 1213 85-90% 8 118.00–138.00 $126.37 $1,533
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1310–1460 1374 75-80% 8 158.00–175.00 $167.12 $2,296 -4.33
1485–1725 1603 75-80% 6 135.00–146.00 $138.60 $2,222
1500–1770 1620 75-80% 10 151.00–164.00 $156.71 $2,539

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1320–1645 1483 2 140.00–142.00 $141.11 $2,093
1455–2215 1907 17 154.00–195.00 $174.05 $3,319

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1395–1405 1400 2 200.00–205.00 $202.51 $2,835
1370–1655 1614 37 210.00–213.00 $210.41 $3,396

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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.