Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, July 8, 2021

434 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 434 385 450
Slaughter cattle 434 385 450

No comparison today as the last reported sale was three weeks ago. Comparison is not applicable. Upward trend in both choice steers and choice heifers. Dairy cattle was sharply higher. Demand was good on a heavy offering today.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
936–1140 982 6 92.50–97.50 $96.16 $944
1230–1633 1424 150 118.00–134.00 $124.50 $1,773 +1.06
1260–1770 1437 7 92.00–104.00 $99.56 $1,431 -23.88
1440–1558 1502 37 122.00–133.00 $131.65 $1,977
1533–1693 1602 8 114.00–116.00 $114.73 $1,838

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1120–1215 1179 4 107.00–116.00 $111.64 $1,316
1125–1308 1239 9 103.00–110.00 $107.77 $1,335
1091–1528 1257 84 114.00–126.00 $122.59 $1,541
1510–1645 1559 5 104.00–112.00 $109.72 $1,711
1745 1745 1 97.00 $97.00 $1,693

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1180 1180 1 96.00 $96.00 $1,133
1350–1470 1418 6 115.00–118.00 $116.47 $1,652
1385–1503 1464 6 106.00–108.00 $107.37 $1,572

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1105 1105 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,193
1335–1670 1456 26 104.00–109.50 $106.12 $1,545 +0.66
1414–1675 1508 73 111.00–119.50 $115.55 $1,742

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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.