Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 6, 2021

306 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 306 240 0
Slaughter cattle 306 240 0

Compared to last week : Slaughter Steers sold mostly 1.00 to 2.00 lower, Slaughter Heifers sold mostly 2.00 to 3.00 lower, and Holstein Steers sold mostly 4.00 to 5.00 lower. Packer demand was good to moderate on a 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
1050–1125 1097 9 102.00–106.00 $104.26 $1,144
1284 1284 20 104.00 $104.00 $1,335
1321–1465 1360 57 112.00–116.75 $113.55 $1,544
1423–1498 1434 51 104.00–109.00 $106.48 $1,527 -14.08
1556–1645 1565 10 111.50–116.75 $116.15 $1,818 +1.64
1535–1662 1616 5 104.00–109.00 $107.86 $1,743
1725 1725 2 110.00 $110.00 $1,898

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1150–1173 1159 12 110.00–111.50 $110.75 $1,284
1185 1185 3 111.50 $111.50 $1,321
1260–1358 1334 4 104.00–108.00 $107.06 $1,428 -9.27
1328–1398 1360 19 112.50–115.75 $114.31 $1,555 +8.57
1422–1492 1437 14 112.00–114.00 $113.56 $1,632

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1050–1100 1076 26 63.00–67.00 $64.92 $699

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1245–1565 1446 10 85.00–88.00 $87.42 $1,264
1381–1587 1479 45 91.00–97.00 $93.06 $1,376 -4.77
1620–1759 1734 20 92.00–100.50 $96.80 $1,679

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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.