Sale reports / Iowa / Denison Livestock Auction / 2026-02-19

Denison Livestock Auction

Feeder Cattle · Denison, Iowa · Thu, Feb 19
● Final36 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 2150
Receipts
1,987 head
▼ 75 vs last sale 2,062▼ 226 vs year ago 2,213 · −10.2%
View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Western Iowa Preconditioned Sale. Not a true comparison today, as the previous sale included short weaned calves and possibly less vaccinations. Lower trend in steers and upward trend in heifers. Good offering of both light steers and yearlings. Mostly light heifers today. Many half loads and plenty of smaller strings in the offering. Good demand.

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot
500–600 lb steers averaged $461.91/cwt on 141 head. That ranks 6 of 11 comparable sales and sits −12.32 against this barn's trailing median of $474.23.
Average price
$461.91
141 head · 571 lb average
Value per head Derived
$2,637
Price × average weight ÷ 100
Grade differential Derived
$176
per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2
$46.72/cwt at this weight
vs the market
−20.92
vs IA average
−25.44 vs national

Price by quality 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade
Frame / muscleAvg wt$/cwt$/headHead
Medium and Large 1566472.512,676109
Medium and Large 1-2587425.792,49932
One grade step is worth $46.72/cwt here — about $176 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only
This sale141 hd
461.91
—
IA average7 barns · 947 hd
482.83
−20.92
National average178 barns · 13,390 hd
487.35
−25.44
This barn, trailing median11 sales
474.23
−12.32
A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

11 sales
521473426378median 474.2303/0503/1905/1409/0310/29
Steers 500–600 lb: high $506.91, low $391.81, median $474.23 across 11 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

Every lot

36 lots · USDA AMS · Denison Livestock Feeder Cattle - Denison, IA
Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added. Grouped by class and set lightest first; USDA files them in sale-ring order.
ClassWeightGrade / descriptionAvg wtPriceRangePer headHead
Feeder Cattle · Steers19 lots · lightest first
Steers400–450Medium and Large 1412550.00/cwt550.00–550.002,2666
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1473519.97/cwt502.50–541.002,45933
Steers450–500Medium and Large 14912,200.00/head2,200.00–2,200.002,2003
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1520520.89/cwt500.00–531.002,70929
Steers500–550Medium and Large 15332,050.00/head2,050.00–2,050.002,0503
Steers550–600Medium and Large 1583454.97/cwt437.50–484.002,65280
Steers550–600Medium and Large 1-2587425.79/cwt420.00–435.002,49932
Steers600–650Medium and Large 1633420.27/cwt407.50–440.002,66094
Steers650–700Medium and Large 1-2656390.00/cwt390.00–390.002,5588
Steers650–700Medium and Large 1678421.91/cwt418.00–437.002,861111
Steers700–750Medium and Large 1731397.07/cwt384.00–420.002,903139
Steers700–750Medium and Large 1-2738374.80/cwt370.00–376.002,76625
Steers750–800Medium and Large 1765387.84/cwt371.00–396.252,967103
Steers800–850Medium and Large 1812383.73/cwt362.00–398.003,116170
Steers800–850Medium and Large 1-2844355.50/cwt355.50–355.503,00019
Steers850–900Medium and Large 1881361.81/cwt356.00–363.503,18854
Steers900–950Medium and Large 1913351.88/cwt335.00–355.253,21355
Steers950–1000Medium and Large 1-2965308.00/cwt308.00–308.002,9725
Steers1000–1050Large 11,032323.50/cwt323.50–323.503,33918
Feeder Cattle · Heifers17 lots · lightest first
Heifers350–400Medium and Large 13702,175.00/head2,175.00–2,175.002,1754
Heifers400–450Medium and Large 14232,125.00/head2,125.00–2,125.002,1253
Heifers400–450Medium and Large 1434503.67/cwt498.00–511.002,18622
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 1485475.41/cwt451.00–495.002,30649
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 1-2486447.50/cwt447.50–447.502,1755
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1523455.19/cwt435.00–465.002,38156
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1-2531420.00/cwt420.00–420.002,2305
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1-2573387.50/cwt387.50–387.502,2203
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1575422.16/cwt402.00–440.002,427135
Heifers600–650Medium and Large 1621398.51/cwt380.00–411.002,475114
Heifers600–650Medium and Large 1-2646365.00/cwt365.00–365.002,3583
Heifers650–700Medium and Large 1681381.07/cwt366.00–392.502,595106
Heifers700–750Medium and Large 1723370.08/cwt355.00–379.502,67654
Heifers750–800Medium and Large 1765354.27/cwt338.50–370.002,710167
Heifers800–850Medium and Large 1849327.50/cwt327.50–327.502,78012
Heifers850–900Medium and Large 1856325.00/cwt325.00–325.002,78216
Heifers950–1000Medium and Large 1-2991277.00/cwt277.00–277.002,74512

This sale against other markets

Iowa weighted averages
One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Iowa auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.