Cattle Market Pulse

Sheldon Livestock Slaughter Cattle Market Report

Sheldon, Iowa · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Thursday, October 20, 2022

301 head sold ·Official USDA report

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

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 301 283 0
Slaughter cattle 301 283 0

Compared to the sale last Thursday, choice slaughter steers were steady. Choice slaughter heifers 1.00 higher. Dairy steers with limited numbers 2.75 higher. Good demand on quality cattle. Trade active.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1160–1245 1203 2 137.00–139.00 $137.96 $1,660
1318–1695 1457 18 127.00–132.00 $129.23 $1,883
1278–1670 1505 118 138.00–146.00 $141.63 $2,132 +0.13

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
945–1220 1128 3 120.00–127.00 $125.05 $1,411 -7.19
1196–1234 1217 18 137.00–138.75 $138.12 $1,681 +0.47
1268 1268 2 127.00 $127.00 $1,610
1280–1594 1439 71 137.00–147.00 $142.52 $2,051
1720 1720 1 124.00 $124.00 $2,133

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1365–1369 1369 8 131.00–133.00 $131.25 $1,797
1410–1548 1456 25 116.00–125.00 $122.68 $1,786

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N/N/A ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1396 1396 6 116.00 $116.00 $1,619
1475–1648 1577 22 124.00–130.00 $126.42 $1,994

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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.