Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 13, 2021

414 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 414 306 0
Slaughter cattle 414 306 0

Compared to last week : Slaughter Steers sold mostly 1.00 to 2.00 higher, Slaughter Heifers sold mostly 1.50 to 2.50 higher , and Slaughter Holstein steers sold mostly 1.00 higher. Packer demand was good to moderate on a 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
1020–1443 1278 46 105.00–111.00 $108.04 $1,381 +4.04
1287–1475 1342 24 106.00–114.00 $109.78 $1,473
1305–1494 1406 30 111.50–117.00 $114.64 $1,612 +8.16
1505–1625 1529 5 110.00–113.00 $111.39 $1,703
1472–1597 1540 33 117.00–124.00 $119.71 $1,844

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1103–1173 1167 33 107.00 $107.00 $1,249 -3.75
1200–1317 1258 13 102.00–109.00 $106.47 $1,339
1208–1378 1291 67 110.00–117.50 $113.24 $1,462
1475–1520 1512 11 112.00–113.00 $112.18 $1,696
1532 1532 3 107.00 $107.00 $1,639
1615 1615 1 107.00 $107.00 $1,728

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055–1475 1264 8 67.00–79.00 $71.43 $903
1179–1500 1291 10 80.00–82.00 $81.54 $1,053
1342–1460 1439 21 93.00–94.50 $93.51 $1,346

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1042 1042 11 71.00 $71.00 $740
1055–1390 1253 9 65.00–79.00 $71.03 $890
1260–1600 1456 58 91.00–99.50 $96.61 $1,407 +3.55
1355–1558 1517 9 84.00–89.00 $85.07 $1,291
1612–1785 1697 22 96.50–106.00 $101.57 $1,724

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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.