Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 13, 2022

283 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 283 384 476
Slaughter cattle 283 384 476

Compared to the sale last Thursday, choice slaughter steers were .9 lower. Choice slaughter heifers 2.25 lower. Dairy steers with limited numbers 5.5 lower. Demand good. Active trade.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1255 1255 2 131.00 $131.00 $1,644
1273 1273 3 137.00 $137.00 $1,744
1295–1725 1434 18 125.00–134.00 $131.12 $1,880 +12.23
1291–1668 1531 95 136.00–144.00 $141.50 $2,166

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1063–1207 1143 14 126.00–135.50 $132.24 $1,512
1167–1245 1200 34 137.00–138.00 $137.65 $1,652 -4.35
1245–1420 1338 20 126.00–134.00 $131.17 $1,755
1260–1420 1388 6 118.00–121.00 $120.38 $1,671 -15.78
1265–1427 1388 34 139.00–143.00 $141.42 $1,963 +5.26

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1015–1500 1208 3 95.00–110.00 $105.19 $1,271
1498–1544 1529 6 116.00–118.00 $117.35 $1,794

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1420–1650 1534 26 123.00–127.00 $123.58 $1,896 -1.42
1590–1672 1622 13 118.00–120.00 $119.21 $1,934 -9.85

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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.