Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 19, 2021

420 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 420 573 410
Slaughter cattle 420 573 410

Compared to two weeks ago choice steers were 5.00 higher, choice heifers 3.5 higher. Dairy steers .50 higher. Demand was 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
1263 1263 6 122.00 $122.00 $1,541 +32.00
1265 1265 1 108.00 $108.00 $1,366 +18.00
1388–1645 1474 7 115.00–119.00 $115.77 $1,706 -5.46
1310–1805 1478 126 121.50–136.00 $126.17 $1,865 +4.94

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1045–1160 1103 2 84.00–87.00 $85.42 $942
1170–1294 1237 47 118.00–129.50 $125.62 $1,554 +4.83
1190–1497 1355 67 116.00–129.00 $123.53 $1,674
1445–1575 1532 3 101.00–105.50 $102.42 $1,569
1655 1655 1 115.00 $115.00 $1,903

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YG3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1225–2240 1707 18 70.00–86.00 $80.79 $1,379
1522–2305 1827 23 89.00–101.00 $94.05 $1,718

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1189 1189 4 94.00 $94.00 $1,118
1245–1312 1308 16 108.00–109.00 $108.94 $1,425

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1321–1362 1350 31 107.00–109.50 $107.71 $1,454
1415–1798 1605 35 112.00–117.50 $114.18 $1,833

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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.