Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, November 12, 2020

702 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle report →

heavy 9-weight N/N/A steers $118.66/cwt ≈ $1,181/hd at 995 lb · 17 head
HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 702 527 732
Slaughter cattle 702 527 732

Compared to last week, Slaughter Steers sold mostly 0.50 higher, Slaughter Heifers sold mostly 1.50 to 2.00 higher, and Slaughter Holstein Steers sold mostly .50 to 1.50 lower. Packer demand was good to moderate on a higher offering today.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
954–1039 995 17 110.00–124.50 $118.66 $1,181
1198–1590 1364 9 91.00–97.00 $94.96 $1,295
1275–1636 1472 228 105.00–110.00 $107.37 $1,580 +10.44
1115–1735 1512 75 100.00–104.00 $102.54 $1,550

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
923 923 2 110.00 $110.00 $1,015
1074–1458 1305 108 105.00–109.60 $106.59 $1,391 +1.38
1005–1525 1315 52 100.00–104.00 $101.58 $1,336 -3.63
1048–1513 1321 14 91.50–95.00 $93.24 $1,232 -11.97

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1060–1640 1402 97 80.00–89.00 $87.47 $1,226
1085–1610 1409 9 71.00–79.00 $75.39 $1,062
1125–1681 1534 91 90.00–95.00 $91.83 $1,409

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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.