Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, August 4, 2022

416 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 416 273 573
Slaughter cattle 416 273 573

Compared to the sale two weeks ago, choice slaughter steers were 2.8 higher. Choice slaughter heifers .90 higher. Dairy steers 4.4 higher. Demand good. Trade active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1152–1201 1184 9 138.00–148.50 $142.53 $1,688
1155–1215 1185 2 129.00–135.00 $131.92 $1,563
1170–1230 1215 7 111.00–120.00 $117.98 $1,433 -17.02
1280–1535 1426 6 126.00–135.00 $131.27 $1,872
1297–1695 1479 141 139.00–155.00 $143.94 $2,129 +2.86
1295–1740 1518 2 110.00–117.00 $112.99 $1,715

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1109–1205 1168 29 138.00–145.25 $140.40 $1,640 +5.40
1250–1478 1318 35 136.50–142.00 $139.26 $1,835 +0.87
1185–1453 1379 7 102.50–109.00 $107.70 $1,485 -10.33
1315–1475 1395 2 122.00–128.00 $125.17 $1,746 +7.14

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1088–1198 1142 8 102.00–108.00 $104.29 $1,191
1238 1238 13 123.00 $123.00 $1,523
1323 1323 2 111.00 $111.00 $1,469 +2.79
1285–1445 1338 3 114.00–122.00 $116.88 $1,564 +8.67
1305–1647 1359 32 124.00–130.00 $128.30 $1,744

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1095–1295 1201 4 109.00–116.00 $112.87 $1,356
1283 1283 20 120.00 $120.00 $1,540
1353–1545 1435 7 123.00–127.00 $125.56 $1,802 +5.50
1358–1700 1472 3 111.00–113.00 $111.77 $1,645 -19.58
1555–1790 1695 26 133.00–140.00 $135.78 $2,301

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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.