Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, May 20, 2021

560 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 560 414 0
Slaughter cattle 560 414 0

Compared to last week : Slaughter Steers sold mostly 3.00 to 4.00 higher, Slaughter Heifers sold mostly 5.00 to 6.00 higher, and Holstein steers sold mostly 6'00 to 7.00 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
1175–1295 1264 8 81.00–101.00 $97.92 $1,238 -10.12
1215–1288 1264 12 105.00–106.00 $105.68 $1,336 -2.36
1342–1497 1396 71 110.00–118.50 $115.37 $1,611
1305–1495 1418 41 103.00–114.00 $108.29 $1,536 -6.35
1314–1566 1457 37 116.00–120.00 $117.87 $1,717
1165–1730 1572 26 107.00–114.50 $112.22 $1,764

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1080–1260 1170 18 94.00–106.00 $102.50 $1,199 -4.50
1245–1368 1283 18 112.00–114.00 $112.61 $1,445 -0.63
1278–1399 1355 118 116.00–121.25 $119.08 $1,614
1323–1548 1405 7 110.40–114.00 $112.87 $1,586
1415–1565 1452 29 115.50–120.50 $117.84 $1,711

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1113–1518 1276 40 72.00–100.00 $86.44 $1,103 +15.01

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1055–1468 1278 11 80.00–89.00 $85.57 $1,094 +14.54
1250–1550 1385 32 93.00–99.50 $97.18 $1,346
1385–1660 1419 44 101.00–104.50 $103.36 $1,467
1386–1713 1529 48 106.00–109.00 $107.71 $1,647 +22.64

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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.