Name: Russell Livestock Auction - Iowa livestock auction prices — 2025-12-08
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-12-08

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to the sale two weeks ago, steers sold mostly 12.00 to 34.00 higher, while 5-weight cattle were sharply higher. Heifers 600 lbs. and heavier sold 4.00 to 10.00 higher, while ligher heifers were sharply higher. Demand was very good today. Supply was moderate to heavy and comprised mainly of smaller packages and just a handful of load lots.

Weight class

Steers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb steers averaged $443.37/cwt on 401 head. That ranks 1 of 15 comparable sales and sits −43.52 against this barn's trailing median of $486.89.

Average price

$443.37

401 head · 548 lb average

Value per head Derived

$2,428

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$117

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium and Large 1-2

$16.07/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+9.00

vs IA average

+12.74 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	549	445.89	2,446	338
Medium and Large 1-2	542	429.82	2,330	63

One grade step is worth $16.07/cwt here — about $117 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 400–500 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

15 sales

Steers 500–600 lb: high $512.91, low $455.97, median $486.89 across 15 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale401 hd

443.37

—

IA average9 barns · 1,868 hd

434.37

+9.00

National average179 barns · 20,601 hd

430.63

+12.74

This barn, trailing median15 sales

486.89

−43.52

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Every lot, as filed

53 lots · USDA AMS · Russell Livestock Feeder Cattle - Russell, IA

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	500–550	502	446.00/cwt	446.00–446.00	2,239	22
Steers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	400–450	400	568.64/cwt	545.00–577.50	2,275	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	650–700	663	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	2,453	9
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	450–500	458	447.50/cwt	447.50–447.50	2,050	11
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	849	270.00/cwt	270.00–270.00	2,292	10
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	669	311.00/cwt	311.00–311.00	2,081	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	524	407.78/cwt	397.50–417.50	2,137	69
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	911	313.00/cwt	313.00–313.00	2,851	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	705	375.50/cwt	353.00–382.50	2,647	124
Steers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	391	546.73/cwt	525.00–560.00	2,138	24
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	625	342.61/cwt	327.50–350.00	2,141	146
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	782	304.07/cwt	282.50–310.00	2,378	23
Steers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	674	381.12/cwt	355.00–389.00	2,569	182
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	966	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,705	8
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	850–900	871	290.90/cwt	289.00–293.00	2,534	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	423	492.50/cwt	492.50–492.50	2,083	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	659	331.99/cwt	320.00–340.00	2,188	18
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	762	340.40/cwt	325.00–346.00	2,594	39
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	568	381.85/cwt	365.00–399.00	2,169	88
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	484	459.11/cwt	448.00–472.50	2,222	36
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	732	312.12/cwt	292.50–322.00	2,285	64
Steers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	513	459.32/cwt	440.00–478.00	2,356	149
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	424	423.24/cwt	417.50–435.00	1,795	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	485	401.07/cwt	397.50–408.00	1,945	27
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	650–700	672	372.42/cwt	350.00–385.00	2,503	30
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	828	350.62/cwt	332.50–359.00	2,903	112
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	486	400.00/cwt	400.00–400.00	1,944	16
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	700–750	726	277.00/cwt	277.00–277.00	2,011	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	389	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,342	10
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	690	302.74/cwt	285.00–309.50	2,089	11
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	467	419.29/cwt	390.00–434.00	1,958	14
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	432	400.66/cwt	395.00–407.50	1,731	31
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	650–700	670	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	2,312	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	300–350	307	500.00/cwt	500.00–500.00	1,535	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	630	402.30/cwt	387.50–410.00	2,534	41
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2Unweaned	500–550	523	342.50/cwt	342.50–342.50	1,791	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	1050–1100	1,094	229.00/cwt	229.00–229.00	2,505	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	626	312.25/cwt	309.00–317.00	1,955	35
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	700–750	706	279.00/cwt	279.00–279.00	1,970	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	563	340.61/cwt	310.00–363.00	1,918	28
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	621	394.66/cwt	384.00–422.50	2,451	126
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	750–800	769	315.25/cwt	310.00–327.50	2,424	13
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	542	429.82/cwt	420.00–437.50	2,330	63
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	728	336.77/cwt	335.00–338.00	2,452	12
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	550–600	579	341.24/cwt	335.00–347.50	1,976	16
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	434	410.00/cwt	410.00–410.00	1,779	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	350–400	372	454.57/cwt	445.00–465.00	1,691	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	500–550	515	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	2,189	4
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	627	350.00/cwt	350.00–350.00	2,195	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	615	352.50/cwt	352.50–352.50	2,168	8
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	578	435.53/cwt	412.00–442.00	2,517	185
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	450–500	486	450.00/cwt	450.00–450.00	2,187	15
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	476	426.47/cwt	420.00–442.00	2,030	45

How this sale compares

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.

Iowa feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →

Russell Livestock Feeder Cattle - Russell, IA

Mon Dec 8, 2025

USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News · Federal-State Market News Service, Des Moines, IA (LS-NW)

Receipts 2,217Last week 4,020Year ago 4,206

Feeder Cattle

As reported

Head	Wt range	Avg wt	Price range	Avg price
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
11	450–500	458	447.50	447.50
22	500–550	502	446.00	446.00
9	650–700	663	370.00	370.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	350–400	372	445.00–465.00	454.57
16	400–450	424	417.50–435.00	423.24
45	450–500	476	420.00–442.00	426.47
69	500–550	524	397.50–417.50	407.78
88	550–600	568	365.00–399.00	381.85
146	600–650	625	327.50–350.00	342.61
18	650–700	659	320.00–340.00	331.99
64	700–750	732	292.50–322.00	312.12
23	750–800	782	282.50–310.00	304.07
13	850–900	871	289.00–293.00	290.90
8	950–1000	966	280.00	280.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
6	400–450	434	410.00	410.00
27	450–500	485	397.50–408.00	401.07
16	550–600	579	335.00–347.50	341.24
8	600–650	615	352.50	352.50
4	700–750	706	279.00	279.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
10	350–400	389	345.00	345.00
31	400–450	432	395.00–407.50	400.66
16	450–500	486	400.00	400.00
28	550–600	563	310.00–363.00	340.61
35	600–650	626	309.00–317.00	312.25
11	650–700	690	285.00–309.50	302.74
5	1050–1100	1,094	229.00	229.00
Heifers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
6	500–550	523	342.50	342.50
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Fancy$ per cwt · actual wt
11	400–450	400	545.00–577.50	568.64
Steers — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
24	350–400	391	525.00–560.00	546.73
6	400–450	423	492.50	492.50
36	450–500	484	448.00–472.50	459.11
149	500–550	513	440.00–478.00	459.32
185	550–600	578	412.00–442.00	435.53
126	600–650	621	384.00–422.50	394.66
182	650–700	674	355.00–389.00	381.12
124	700–750	705	353.00–382.50	375.50
39	750–800	762	325.00–346.00	340.40
112	800–850	828	332.50–359.00	350.62
6	900–950	911	313.00	313.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
4	500–550	515	425.00	425.00
41	600–650	630	387.50–410.00	402.30
30	650–700	672	350.00–385.00	372.42
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
6	700–750	726	277.00	277.00
Steers — Medium and Large 1-2$ per cwt · actual wt
6	300–350	307	500.00	500.00
14	450–500	467	390.00–434.00	419.29
63	500–550	542	420.00–437.50	429.82
5	650–700	670	345.00	345.00
12	700–750	728	335.00–338.00	336.77
13	750–800	769	310.00–327.50	315.25
Bulls — Medium and Large 1$ per cwt · actual wt
6	650–700	669	311.00	311.00
10	800–850	849	270.00	270.00
Bulls — Medium and Large 1 · Unweaned$ per cwt · actual wt
15	450–500	486	450.00	450.00
11	600–650	627	350.00	350.00

Head, weight ranges, average weights and price ranges are exactly as USDA AMS filed them — nothing recomputed, nothing rounded — in USDA's own reporting structure. This is RaisedBeef's rendering of that data, not a copy of USDA's document.

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Russell Livestock Auction - Iowa