Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Feeder Cattle Special Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock (Special)

Sale of Thursday, June 18, 2026

556 head sold ·Official USDA report

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 steers $454.49/cwt -59.71 vs last sale · ≈ $2,172/hd at 478 lb · 22 head
Sheldon, IA 4-weight steers sold at $468/cwt, down $61 from the early May peak of $560. Receipts today were 556 head. What this means — computed from this report and its neighbors
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 556 661 0
Feeder cattle 556 661 0

Dairy-Holstein feeder special sale. No trend applicable, as the last sale was a month ago. Many smaller packages in the offering today. Good demand for this light offering, especially on advertised consignments.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
437 437 7 510.00 $510.00 $2,229
472–484 478 22 450.00–460.00 $454.49 $2,172 -59.71
660 660 3 380.00 $380.00 $2,508
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1196 1196 4 260.00 $260.00 $3,110

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Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
444 444 5 440.00 $440.00 $1,954 -80.00
553–585 571 7 400.00–410.00 $405.85 $2,317 -24.15
747 747 5 360.00 $360.00 $2,689
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
686 686 4 360.00 $360.00 $2,470
784 784 4 315.00 $315.00 $2,470 +5.00
Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1297 1297 3 258.00 $258.00 $3,346

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Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
867 867 3 310.00 $310.00 $2,688
920 920 3 310.00 $310.00 $2,852
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1029 1029 4 210.00 $210.00 $2,161

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Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
533–547 540 6 360.00 $360.00 $1,944
624 624 9 335.00 $335.00 $2,090
880 880 18 272.50 $272.50 $2,398
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
430 430 6 445.00 $445.00 $1,914 -90.00

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Medium and Large 2-3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
425 425 5 450.00 $450.00 $1,912 -145.65
496 496 4 430.00 $430.00 $2,133
540 540 15 375.00 $375.00 $2,025 -173.65
633 633 7 390.00 $390.00 $2,469

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Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
927 927 3 230.00 $230.00 $2,132
995 995 5 235.00 $235.00 $2,338
1001–1028 1005 21 225.00–232.50 $231.40 $2,326
1114–1141 1135 21 220.00–245.00 $233.05 $2,645 -9.09
Large 3-4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
648 648 4 200.00 $200.00 $1,296
732 732 3 205.00 $205.00 $1,501
835 835 5 215.00 $215.00 $1,795
1085 1085 3 205.00 $205.00 $2,224
1129 1129 4 205.00 $205.00 $2,314
1291 1291 10 207.50 $207.50 $2,679
1421 1421 4 205.00 $205.00 $2,913
Small 4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
722 722 14 150.00 $150.00 $1,083
813 813 5 170.00 $170.00 $1,382
Small 3-4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1038 1038 3 200.00 $200.00 $2,076

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Large 3 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
254 254 32 1,500.00 $1,500.00
Large 3-4 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
216 216 14 275.00 $275.00 $594
533 533 3 260.00 $260.00 $1,386
1232 1232 6 225.00 $225.00 $2,772

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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.