Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 7, 2021

350 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 350 375 382
Slaughter cattle 350 375 382

Compared to last Thursday choice slaughter steers were 2.75 higher, choice slaughter heifers 2.00 higher. Dairy steers 3.00 higher. Demand was good for the moderate offering of quality cattle. Trading active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1135–1230 1183 2 104.00–107.00 $105.56 $1,249
1060–1399 1284 22 116.00–123.50 $119.88 $1,539
1442 value added 1442 13 126.75 $126.75 $1,828
1325–1770 1449 100 115.00–126.00 $121.44 $1,760
1550 1550 1 110.00 $110.00 $1,705

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1115–1295 1231 31 115.00–124.75 $120.01 $1,477 +1.96
1258–1520 1336 78 118.00–126.25 $121.67 $1,626 +15.07

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1310 1221 9 74.00–77.00 $76.70 $937
1275–1389 1337 22 108.00–110.00 $109.13 $1,459
1340 1340 1 86.00 $86.00 $1,152
1488–1595 1524 3 113.00–117.00 $114.40 $1,743

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1278–1370 1326 21 104.50–112.75 $109.54 $1,453
1400 1400 2 101.00 $101.00 $1,414
1455 1455 2 95.00 $95.00 $1,382 -14.18
1410–1718 1466 36 109.00–117.50 $112.22 $1,645 +3.04

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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.