Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 26, 2021

415 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 415 420 310
Slaughter cattle 415 420 310

Compared to last Thursday choice steers were 4.25 lower, choice heifers 1.25 lower. Dairy steers 2.00 lower. 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
1160–1369 1259 12 105.00–114.00 $107.42 $1,352 -14.58
1240–1319 1272 25 118.00–125.00 $122.27 $1,555 +14.27
1370–1490 1439 6 104.00–113.00 $109.70 $1,579
1309–1600 1453 120 116.00–125.00 $121.81 $1,770 +6.04

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1175–1270 1223 2 95.00–98.00 $96.44 $1,179 -29.18
1180–1239 1225 21 115.00–124.00 $119.43 $1,463 -6.19
1025–1296 1250 12 101.00–109.00 $105.88 $1,324
1105–1409 1288 7 109.00–114.00 $110.86 $1,428
1253–1543 1394 68 120.00–126.00 $122.17 $1,703
1480–1593 1542 4 106.00–107.00 $106.24 $1,638 +3.82

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1185–1281 1248 24 102.00–108.50 $106.14 $1,325
1195–1308 1268 14 93.00 $93.00 $1,179
1358–1464 1378 44 111.00–116.00 $111.80 $1,541
1410 1410 4 85.00 $85.00 $1,198

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1272–1324 1312 19 105.00–115.75 $108.41 $1,422
1410–1440 1434 5 82.00–98.00 $85.15 $1,221
1438–1484 1476 18 111.50–117.00 $112.10 $1,655

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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.