Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, April 21, 2022

545 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 545 322 527
Slaughter cattle 545 322 527

Compared to last Thursday choice slaughter steers were 6.00 higher, choice slaughter heifers 2.80 higher. Choice slaughter dairy steers were .50 lower, choice slaughter dairy heifers 7.30 higher. Demand good on the quality cattle today. Trading active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
938–1125 1030 6 100.00–115.00 $104.98 $1,081
1035–1315 1236 18 122.50–135.50 $130.40 $1,612
1107–1348 1248 24 140.00–148.75 $146.36 $1,827
1148–1678 1482 21 130.00–140.00 $134.48 $1,993
1315–1825 1537 125 144.00–154.00 $149.23 $2,294 +6.10

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
985–1265 1128 5 135.00–137.00 $135.75 $1,531
1055–1323 1213 50 141.50–150.00 $145.84 $1,769 +9.33
1373–1460 1388 6 131.00–136.00 $135.12 $1,875
1325–1553 1404 119 140.00–152.50 $145.98 $2,050 +2.87
1330–1510 1427 3 115.00–121.00 $118.57 $1,692 -24.54
1578 1578 2 126.00 $126.00 $1,988

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1124–1300 1139 12 112.00–124.50 $113.19 $1,289
1558–1650 1569 10 110.00–122.00 $111.73 $1,753

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1163–1372 1288 5 105.00–108.00 $106.92 $1,377
1328–1455 1394 36 110.50–120.00 $116.17 $1,619
1455–1615 1535 4 101.00–103.00 $101.47 $1,558
1514–1730 1564 38 114.00–119.50 $117.29 $1,834 -14.85
1575–1716 1641 30 123.00–140.00 $131.58 $2,159 +11.00

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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.