Sale Barn Study | September 2025

Welcome, Roman!

contributed article by Roman Schooley

Bloomfield Livestock Market, Inc., Bloomfield, Iowa

bloomfieldlivestockiowa.com

Longtime sale barn operator and seasoned cattle producer, Roman Schooley, shares his

market insights and expertise in The Stockman’s Sale Barn Study.

MEET ROMAN

My name is Roman Schooley, and I’m honored to be a part of The Stockman. I want to thank Bill Schermer and The Stockman group for asking me to represent the livestock barns for the current market report.

I’m from Bloomfield in the southeast corner of the state of Iowa. I am a third-generation livestock owner operator at Bloomfield Livestock Market with my brother, Tyler. Our wives, Elizabeth and Kallie, help with the bookkeeping/clerking side of the business.

My uncle, Phil, and my grandpa, Art, took over the sale barn from the Reno family in 1969. My father, Ron, along with my uncles, Wayne and Dave, came down in the early 1970s from Washington, Iowa to assist in the operation. While my dad, Wayne, and Dave have retired, Uncle Phil continues to be an integral part of the auctioneering and marketing.

Our family has been invested in the livestock auction for over 56 years and running. In 2003, I started Schooley Cattle Co. with the aspirations of breeding SimAngus cattle that would thrive in southeast Iowa for our commercial customers. Our operation continues to grow with our 550-head herd of registered Simmental and Angus.

We have an annual production sale at the ranch, selling 18-month to yearling bulls as well as select open and bred heifers. Our breeding program is focused on producing cattle that excel in performance, carcass traits, and maternal longevity. Cattle that meet the demand of the seedstock producer, commercial cattleman, and the consumer.

My objective each issue is to provide accurate, factual information pertaining to the cattle markets as I see it at the current time.

MARKET INSIGHTS

As summer winds down and kids get ready for school to begin, the markets continue to soar to new records. Boxed beef cutouts continue to be very aggressive with choice cutouts $390.58 and select cutouts at $365.64. That’s a bigger spread than we’ve seen all summer and seems to be trending that way. Slaughter is down nine percent year to date. Which is helping this fat cattle market stay strong.

Fat cattle in the South are bidding $2.33 to $2.35 this week, and the North is getting bids at $2.40 to $2.45. The auction barns are selling fats from a range of $2.38 to $2.52. The cow and slaughter bull prices continue to rise due to low supply numbers. Bull range is $1.85 to $2.40 with cows $1.35 to $1.80.

The feeder calf runs have been slow throughout the summer due in part to exceptional rainfall, and lower cattle numbers. All throughout the Midwest, rains are keeping these yearlings out on grass. Your CME index, at the time of print, sits at $342.69 which is yet another record in progress.

As we continue into fall, I see exceptional demand for feeders, as the yearlings and fed cattle continue to soar into new price ranges. Supply will be tight, and many farmers will have an abundance of feed to speculate with purchasing cattle to background or finish.

August 27 is our Annual BBQ Sale (56 years), we will offer many yearlings coming off grass. It will be a good time to find replacement heifers to breed for fall. There will be several loads of yearling steers to hit the February board which currently stands at $2.33. Early bird calf sale will be September 10; we are expecting good runs of fancy calves to present to the backgrounders who will be ready to fill their yards.

We had a breeding stock sale the second week of August and demand for fall calving cows was very aggressive with top fall cows bringing $4,000. Light test on pairs as it’s too early to see them trade. If our slaughter cows continue to stay strong that will keep the bred market very aggressive as we head into early winter runs.

I see several bred heifers coming to market this November through January as many were purchased for breeding. I’m projecting farmers will be looking for opportunities to feed up the surplus of pasture and hay, that will likely keep the bred markets very active going into winter months.

Harvest is just around the corner, and it looks like it will be keeping the farmers busy for some time. I’m praying that you have plentiful crops and that you stay safe. If you have any questions on the markets or want to consign cattle, give any one of us a call at the barn. We love to talk cattle!

God Bless - Roman Schooley

Roman Schooley, Bloomfield, Iowa

Roman Schooley owns Bloomfield Livestock Market and Schooley Cattle Co. in Bloomfield, Iowa. As president of Schooley Cattle Co., Roman leads the breeding decisions of the seedstock operation which consists of 550 registered Simmental and Angus cows. Schooley Cattle Co. utilizes IVF to produce breed leading genetic advancement. The company hosts an annual production sale the first Friday in February at the ranch; selling 18-month-old and yearling bulls and a select group of open and bred heifers. Roman also owns and assists in the operations at Bloomfield Livestock Market which primarily serves producers in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children: Hannah (23), Haven (20), Houstin (17), and one grandson, Weaver (2 months).