Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, July 22, 2021

320 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 320 434 398
Slaughter cattle 320 434 398

Compared to the sale two weeks ago choice steers were 6.00 lower, choice heifers 2.3 lower. Dairy steers were 1.00 lower, not enough dairy heifers for comparison. Demand good for the moderate offerings today.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1040–1353 1274 25 113.00–117.00 $115.43 $1,471
1315 1315 1 106.00 $106.00 $1,394
1275–1415 1345 2 107.00–111.00 $108.90 $1,465
1290–1565 1427 86 113.50–123.50 $118.20 $1,687 -6.30

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1163–1225 1184 3 102.00–108.00 $105.93 $1,254 -5.71
1040–1292 1189 27 112.00–120.60 $116.93 $1,390 +5.29
1150–1395 1322 23 117.00–122.00 $120.27 $1,590
1355–1379 1374 5 98.00–106.00 $104.42 $1,435
1510 1510 1 107.00 $107.00 $1,616
1560 1560 1 94.00 $94.00 $1,466 -15.72
1567–1620 1580 7 81.00–86.00 $81.73 $1,291 -27.99

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1100–1180 1116 8 70.00–83.00 $74.67 $833
1110–1235 1146 8 89.00–101.00 $96.32 $1,104
1290 1290 5 115.50 $115.50 $1,490
1368–1370 1369 3 107.00–115.50 $109.84 $1,504
1420 1420 1 81.00 $81.00 $1,150 -35.47

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1215–1240 1235 5 91.00–94.00 $91.59 $1,131
1190–1422 1364 4 68.00–75.00 $73.47 $1,002
1325–1510 1424 63 105.00–113.00 $108.36 $1,543
1431–1790 1571 32 112.00–117.00 $114.56 $1,800

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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.