Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 22, 2021

527 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 527 459 0
Slaughter cattle 527 459 0

Compared to last week : Slaughter steers sold mostly 2.00 to 3.00 lower, Slaughter heifers sold mostly 3.00 to 4.00 lower, and Slaughter Holstein steers sold mostly 4.00 to 5.00 lower. Packer demand was good to moderate on a slightly 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
975–1088 1032 4 91.00–105.00 $98.38 $1,015
1190–1262 1244 4 115.00–116.00 $115.76 $1,440
1058–1460 1292 23 100.00–112.00 $106.44 $1,375
1224–1525 1304 21 90.00–97.00 $91.27 $1,190
1300–1497 1436 83 112.00–122.25 $117.28 $1,684 -4.37
1550–1785 1655 51 112.00–122.25 $117.91 $1,951

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
904 904 9 130.50 $130.50 $1,180
1145 1145 6 115.50 $115.50 $1,322
1015–1265 1159 13 105.00–110.00 $107.10 $1,241
1200–1245 1218 5 95.00–97.00 $95.82 $1,167 -15.12
1234–1271 1242 23 111.00–112.00 $111.48 $1,385 +0.54
1308–1373 1319 87 116.00–121.10 $120.73 $1,592 +0.65
1400–1450 1425 28 117.00–119.50 $118.53 $1,689
1438–1566 1529 7 112.00–113.00 $112.27 $1,717 -5.66

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
969–995 979 8 100.00–108.00 $103.05 $1,009
1218–1655 1334 16 80.00–86.00 $82.13 $1,096
1145–1695 1437 22 100.00–102.00 $100.72 $1,447
1330–1580 1464 71 90.00–99.50 $97.58 $1,429
1575–1595 1585 6 72.00–73.00 $72.50 $1,149

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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.