Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, March 25, 2021

301 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 301 285 0
Slaughter cattle 301 285 0

Compared to last week : Slaughter steers sold mostly steady, Slaughter heifers sold mostly 1.00 to 2.00 higher, and Slaughter Holstein steers sold mostly steady today. Packer demand was good to moderate on a slightly lower offering today.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1110–1135 1123 2 106.00–108.00 $107.01 $1,202
1360–1495 1460 27 102.00–113.00 $106.33 $1,552
1435–1645 1516 71 102.25–117.00 $113.24 $1,717 +2.13
1718–1735 1724 3 103.00–107.00 $105.66 $1,822

↑ Back to top

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1085–1193 1150 5 108.00–111.00 $109.87 $1,264
1283 1283 4 113.00 $113.00 $1,450 +2.85
1332–1396 1347 30 106.00–112.50 $111.94 $1,508
1413–1545 1469 48 101.00–118.00 $111.09 $1,632 +0.13

↑ Back to top

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1061–1155 1070 11 70.00–82.00 $80.82 $865
1084–1440 1197 11 70.00–88.50 $80.96 $969
1395–1571 1456 68 96.00–99.50 $97.89 $1,425
1327–1678 value added 1598 19 101.00–104.50 $101.72 $1,625
1728 1728 2 93.00 $93.00 $1,607

↑ Back to top

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.