Sale reports / Iowa / Tama Livestock Auction / 2026-03-06

Tama Livestock Auction

Feeder Cattle · Tama, Iowa · Fri, Mar 6
● Final28 lots reportedUSDA AMS · slug 2144
← Feb 13Mar 6latest
Receipts
636 head
▼ 394 vs last sale 1,030▼ 28 vs year ago 664 · −4.2%
View

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Special Preconditioned calf sale today: No comparison due to last precondition sale was (Feb 13). Trade active. Demand good.

Weight classPick one — the panels below update

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot
500–600 lb steers averaged $470.16/cwt on 76 head. That ranks 1 of 1 comparable sales and sits +0.00 against this barn's trailing median of $470.16.
Average price
$470.16
76 head · 548 lb average
Value per head Derived
$2,575
Price × average weight ÷ 100
Grade differential Derived
$430
per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2
$69.24/cwt at this weight
vs the market
−1.64
vs IA average
−5.40 vs national

Price by quality 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade
Frame / muscleAvg wt$/cwt$/headHead
Medium and Large 1550484.742,66760
Medium and Large 1-2538415.502,23716thin
One grade step is worth $69.24/cwt here — about $430 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 300–400 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 sale76 hd
470.16
—
IA average5 barns · 709 hd
471.81
−1.64
National average177 barns · 11,580 hd
475.56
−5.40
This barn, trailing median1 sales
470.16
+0.00
A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Every lot

28 lots · USDA AMS · Tama Livestock Feeder Cattle Special - Tama, 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 · Steers15 lots · lightest first
Steers350–400Medium and Large 1371553.55/cwt530.00–595.002,05416
Steers350–400Medium and Large 1-2388447.48/cwt445.00–450.001,7362
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1-2474450.00/cwt450.00–450.002,1337
Steers450–500Medium and Large 1476507.42/cwt485.00–527.502,41521
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1515497.11/cwt485.00–500.002,56026
Steers500–550Medium and Large 1-2518424.14/cwt382.50–450.002,19711
Steers550–600Medium and Large 1577475.28/cwt455.00–480.002,74234
Steers550–600Medium and Large 1-2583396.49/cwt382.50–420.002,3125
Steers600–650Medium and Large 1-2617396.05/cwt390.00–407.502,4443
Steers600–650Medium and Large 1627459.02/cwt449.00–470.502,87867
Steers650–700Medium and Large 1674422.70/cwt395.00–436.002,84950
Steers700–750Medium and Large 1731405.66/cwt389.00–433.002,96556
Steers750–800Medium and Large 1779372.65/cwt372.00–377.502,90345
Steers800–850Medium and Large 1834354.50/cwt354.50–354.502,9578
Steers850–900Medium and Large 1883325.00/cwt325.00–325.002,8704
Feeder Cattle · Heifers13 lots · lightest first
Heifers300–350Medium and Large 1336469.33/cwt445.00–480.001,5777
Heifers350–400Medium and Large 1382470.10/cwt460.00–475.001,7965
Heifers400–450Medium and Large 1440457.04/cwt445.00–465.002,01120
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 1-2483405.00/cwt405.00–405.001,9562
Heifers450–500Medium and Large 1484437.50/cwt437.50–437.502,1187
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1-2523355.62/cwt310.00–385.001,8603
Heifers500–550Medium and Large 1525423.45/cwt400.00–437.502,22359
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1-2555317.50/cwt317.50–317.501,7621
Heifers550–600Medium and Large 1587400.79/cwt395.00–405.002,35324
Heifers600–650Medium and Large 1612397.35/cwt360.00–410.002,43224
Heifers650–700Medium and Large 1675371.44/cwt350.00–386.002,50725
Heifers700–750Medium and Large 1727357.44/cwt351.00–360.002,59922
Heifers750–800Medium and Large 1767342.56/cwt330.00–345.002,62727

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.