Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 14, 2021

476 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 476 350 319
Slaughter cattle 476 350 319

Compared to last Thursday choice slaughter steers were .70 lower, choice slaughter heifers 3.00 lower. Dairy steers were steady. Demand was good for the heavy offerings. Trading active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1118–1216 1188 7 114.00–118.50 $117.29 $1,393 +11.73
1025–1346 1270 17 101.00–110.00 $108.09 $1,373 -11.79
1428–1648 1482 15 107.00–110.00 $108.41 $1,607
1270–1615 1506 126 113.00–125.25 $120.74 $1,818

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1232 1157 27 115.00–123.00 $116.93 $1,353
1065–1232 1159 16 100.00–109.00 $102.91 $1,193
1154–1585 1364 112 113.00–124.25 $118.57 $1,617
1435–1463 1457 5 99.00–105.00 $103.82 $1,513

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1071–1330 1123 23 90.00–101.00 $94.39 $1,060
1123–1240 1193 5 79.00–84.00 $82.12 $980
1399–1487 1439 8 75.00–81.00 $77.92 $1,121
1350–1579 1525 19 87.00–96.00 $90.26 $1,376 -24.14

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1303–1432 1381 24 99.00–101.00 $100.68 $1,390
1325–1405 1398 11 88.00–90.00 $89.83 $1,256
1300–1432 1411 25 106.00–112.00 $107.16 $1,512 +6.16
1319–1710 1442 13 100.00–104.00 $100.93 $1,455
1448–1535 1477 6 91.00–95.00 $93.61 $1,383 -18.61
1584–1684 1640 9 112.00–113.50 $112.86 $1,851

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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.