Cattle Market Pulse

Tama Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Tama, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Wednesday, April 22, 2026

236 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 236 267 0
Slaughter cattle 236 267 0

Slaughter cattle sale today: Compared to last week. Choice steers and heifers were steady, slaughter cows Breakers steady, Boner and Leans were 3.00 higher. 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
1182 1182 5 257.00 $257.00 $3,038
1170–1618 1395 82 247.00–252.00 $249.90 $3,486
1180–1660 1411 8 231.00–246.00 $239.32 $3,377 -11.24

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1175 1144 7 254.00–257.00 $255.32 $2,921
1130–1285 1208 2 202.50–220.00 $211.81 $2,559
1055–1445 1235 4 232.00–245.00 $238.51 $2,946
1240–1610 1366 25 247.00–252.00 $250.23 $3,418

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Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1405–1475 1448 75-80% 4 186.00–192.00 $189.47 $2,744
1255–1615 1497 75-80% 8 166.00–213.00 $180.38 $2,700
1305–1835 1522 75-80% 10 170.00–184.00 $174.18 $2,651
1655–1805 1710 75-80% 3 155.00–163.00 $159.43 $2,726
Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1255 1153 80-85% 14 182.00–285.00 $220.20 $2,539 +27.93
1095–1715 1421 80-85% 7 160.00–172.00 $166.32 $2,363
1500 1500 80-85% 1 145.00 $145.00 $2,175 -4.02
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
860–905 887 85-90% 3 117.50–122.50 $120.31 $1,067
1060–1445 1164 85-90% 8 130.00–151.00 $137.63 $1,602 +2.80

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YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1280–2155 1679 10 178.50–217.00 $203.49 $3,417
1385–2465 1702 13 220.00–231.00 $227.23 $3,867

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1300 1300 1 241.00 $241.00 $3,133

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1518 1518 2 229.00 $229.00 $3,476

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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.