Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, January 14, 2021

450 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 450 635 348
Slaughter cattle 450 635 348

Compared to last week : Slaughter steers and heifers sold mostly 4.00 to 6.00 lower, Holstein steers sold mostly 4.00 lower. Light demand for this offering of high quality grading, very attractive steers and heifers. Packer buyers much more reserved in their pursuit of fat cattle this week, two - way buyers stepped in and bought market ready cattle that looked to be a value .

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1123–1150 1129 9 96.00–108.00 $105.28 $1,189 +2.31
1228–1380 1288 11 90.00–100.00 $95.00 $1,224
1357 1357 10 102.00 $102.00 $1,384
1443–1553 1453 29 102.00–105.00 $104.02 $1,511 -5.74
1429–1591 1511 41 90.00–101.00 $97.67 $1,476
1631 1631 9 102.50 $102.50 $1,672
1601–1765 1686 27 91.00–97.00 $95.53 $1,611

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1003–1278 1137 16 90.50–96.00 $93.90 $1,068
1285 1285 5 102.50 $102.50 $1,317
1304–1370 1321 20 96.00–101.00 $99.16 $1,310
1402–1511 1460 20 95.00–100.00 $95.88 $1,400

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1067–1355 1120 42 64.00–79.50 $73.52 $823
1319–1610 1345 11 70.00–75.00 $70.54 $949
1234–1793 1473 75 81.00–85.50 $83.77 $1,234
1413–1639 1510 84 86.00–90.00 $87.37 $1,319 -4.15

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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.