Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, February 11, 2021

357 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 357 550 0
Slaughter cattle 357 550 0

Compared to two weeks ago : Slaughter steers sold mostly 3.00 to 5.00 higher, Slaughter heifers sold mostly 1.00 to 4.00 higher, and Slaughter Holstein steers sold mostly 1.00 to 4.00 higher. Packer demand was good to moderate on a steady offering today. There was some tag of .5% to 1% on the cattle today.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1018–1073 1050 18 101.00–107.00 $104.61 $1,098
1276–1498 1398 46 106.50–115.50 $111.95 $1,565
1430 1430 2 109.00 $109.00 $1,559 +12.33
1500–1668 1628 38 103.00–114.75 $113.33 $1,845 +5.64

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
940–1258 1057 7 94.00–106.00 $102.15 $1,080
1145–1160 1155 3 101.00–109.00 $106.36 $1,228
1250–1383 1308 26 105.00–112.00 $109.24 $1,429 +15.98
1400–1544 1495 20 105.00–113.00 $109.16 $1,632 +4.30

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1005–1262 1168 14 64.00–88.00 $78.30 $915
1280–1495 1388 9 90.00–96.00 $92.47 $1,283
1185–1664 1499 136 97.00–99.50 $98.33 $1,474
1535–1550 1540 3 82.00–83.00 $82.66 $1,273 -12.02
1385–2178 1673 20 98.00–101.00 $100.20 $1,676 +5.06
1626–2013 1735 11 92.00–95.50 $93.11 $1,615
1713–1915 1814 4 79.00 $79.00 $1,433

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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.