Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, September 15, 2022

644 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 644 275 407
Slaughter cattle 644 275 407

Compared to the sale last Thursday, choice slaughter steers were 1.3 lower. Choice slaughter heifers 2.3 lower. 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
1015–1168 1122 10 145.50–156.00 $146.54 $1,644
1155–1244 1231 14 131.00–139.00 $132.85 $1,635
1205–1258 1240 3 125.00 $125.00 $1,550
1299–1475 1328 28 117.00–128.75 $124.01 $1,647 -11.59
1281–1730 1415 87 131.00–139.50 $135.94 $1,924
1308–1660 1509 137 140.00–149.00 $142.57 $2,151

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1115–1228 1180 65 121.00–129.25 $123.96 $1,463
1065–1265 1214 30 134.00–139.50 $137.06 $1,664 +1.19
1236 1236 5 143.00 $143.00 $1,767 +7.13
1321–1503 1382 74 140.00–146.75 $141.79 $1,960
1312–1615 1410 35 131.00–139.00 $135.58 $1,912
1320–1555 1482 8 121.00–129.00 $127.32 $1,887

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1342–1390 1349 7 125.00–128.50 $127.98 $1,726
1571 1571 4 131.50 $131.50 $2,066

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1195–1370 1283 2 114.00–120.00 $117.20 $1,504
1278–1361 1352 48 126.50–139.75 $127.33 $1,722
1408–1738 1549 63 126.00–133.00 $129.25 $2,002
1420–1702 1589 5 121.00–122.00 $121.36 $1,928 -11.89

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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.